The Summoner's Craft
by Sunset Moth
Summary: Crossover with Final Fantasy. Wherein, Naruto grows up in an apartment filled with retired ninjas. What will happen when he discovers a Contract which will give him one of the oldest bloodlines that was thought long lost? Gunner!Naruto. Different team.
1. Summoner Naruto

The Summoner's Craft

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Final Fantasy. The men in white say so, and I'll have to take their word for it.

* * *

Chapter One – Summoner Naruto

Uzumaki Naruto, vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and village pariah, strode confidently towards the gate of the Hokage's Tower. He had just passed the final exams which would make him into a full-fledged shinobi of the village of Konoha and, though excited he may be to tell Hokage-jii-san of this wonderful bit of news, he had other more pressing matters to address.

_If you want to see your old sensei, Iruka, ever again, you will do as I say and bring me the Forbidden Scroll tonight. You have three hours._

Those had been the last words he had heard before falling into an abrupt unconsciousness. It was now almost a little over an hour after that had happened and he was determined to accomplish the task set out for him. He knew what he was about to do was wrong but...to _hell_ with it. Right now, saving his sensei's life was much more important to him than anything else. "I'll just wing it once I actually meet the guy," Naruto mumbled underneath his breath. "Preferably getting to keep the scroll afterwards, beat the guy to an inch of his death, and save Iruka-sensei in time for some delicious ramen dinner." He gave a brilliant sincere smile to the two nins always loitering inside the tower's walls before bouncing up the stairs, the picture of an enthusiastic child who had just passed his tests.

Once he was out of their sight, his hand formed into a familiar seal and an exact replica of himself puffed right next to him. He had to thank Hyo-chan for that. She was the one who had taught him how to do the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu—a skill which had ultimately led to his passing the final test. A small smile lingered on his face as he savoured the sight of Iruka's pleasantly surprised, but otherwise proud, face. He immediately dropped it as he slipped into the Hokage's storage room, while his doppelganger continued to walk on to the Hokage's room to meet with the old man. The Bunshin would be his perfect alibi.

His eyes flitted across the place, making him scrunch his nose in disgust. _Man, this place needs a good cleaning up;_ Naruto thought and made a note to himself to do something about this enormous mess in the near future. He calmly walked towards the large bin where the Forbidden Scroll was placed, when something caught his eye. His right hand twitching, he veered off his initial direction to take a look at a smaller scruffy scroll which seemed like it was jammed in the corner of a shelf in embarrassment where no one would really take notice of it. He pulled the scroll gingerly and sat on his rump, a part of him whining that this was all rather unnecessary and Iruka was in danger and Naruto just didn't have the _time_ to look at all these scrolls.

He blew the dust off it and immediately regretted what he had done; the dust made a fuss with his nose and, before he knew it, he was sneezing rather loudly inside the storage room. Tears trickling down his face, he cursed out loud and grabbed the Forbidden Scroll. He tucked the other scroll inside his flashy orange jacket and slung the Forbidden Scroll across his back. He heard footsteps thundering nearby and pushed the window open, making a dive for it as he heard the door slam behind him. Calling forth chakra to his hands and feet, he clamped against the wall and hastily did a Concealment Jutsu just as a head popped into view—a few centimetres above him—looking rather pissed off.

Once the head was gone and he was sure he was in the clear, he began his descent downwards, hoping like hell that no one would notice him. Safely on the ground, he jumped over wall surrounding the Hokage's Tower, and raced for the woods where he would eventually meet with Iruka's kidnapper.

While the original Naruto was doing all this, his doppelganger was babbling away to the Hokage who wore a delighted grin on his weary weathered face. "Congratulations, my boy!" The Hokage crowed, too busy to notice that this Naruto was, in fact, simply a copy. Normally, someone with his calibre would be able to detect a copy in mere seconds but he was too busy doing a victory dance in his head to have noticed.

"Well, I gotta go, Jii-chan," Naruto said, jerking his thumb to the direction of the door. "I have a date with ramen and I'd rather not be late. It might turn cold on me." He gave him his trademark foxy grin and a wink before skipping from the room, his whole body just about brimming with happiness. A moment after he had left, one of the shinobi patrolling the perimeters came rushing in, babbling about a break-in. The Sandaime sighed. And just when things were looking swell...

* * *

Naruto slid against a humongous towering tree and took the scroll from his jacket, staring at his prize with a mixture of curiosity and embarrassment. He really hadn't planned to steal any other scroll from the old man and he felt as if he was betraying the man's trust when the Sandaime had done so much for him. He was dimly aware of his Kage Bunshin dispersing in a cloud of smoke but he waved the thought aside; it was time to find out what the scroll contained.

Breaking the seal on the scroll, he carefully unrolled it, his eyes taking in the oddly beautiful pictures decorating the inner part of the scroll. For something which looked so huge, only three creatures were visible on the old parchment. The other drawings looked either incomplete, or were too smudged to be seen properly. Naruto examined the clearest pictures with a critical eye and whistled in appreciation. One seemed to be some sort of three-headed beast with a tail which burned brightly and scales covering its upper back and neck (or necks which seemed more proper given the number of heads). Another looked to be a lady with hair tied in several long braids, scantily clad with armbands wrapped around her forearms and a white translucent veil tied around her hips. Her upper body, which was half hidden by the hair tumbling down her shoulders, seemed somewhat odd, with ice clinging against the left part of her chest and tattoos swirling around her right. Naruto's eyes lingered the longest, however, on the last image. It looked to be a horse—if horses could ever look so elegant—and carried a long curved horn atop its head. His hand lingered on the image and, for a moment, he felt fur underneath his palm—fur which strangely tingled, as if he had just touched static electricity.

He recognized the scroll for what it was though he found it different from the other one he had seen. Okami-baa-san, his next door neighbour, had shown him her summoning contract once and it had names written in chronological order—names of the people who were allowed to use that contract. This one however, did not have any names written on it, though the usual runes marking that it was indeed what he thought it was, paraded the outer border of the scroll. He shrugged. Well...he had always wanted a summoning contract, didn't he? Okami-baa-san promised him that she would let him sign the Wolf contract when she felt it was time but he was rather the impatient type and acquiring a summoning contract would do him some good in the long run. Biting his thumb, he carefully imprinted his name on the very top box, feeling somewhat proud that he would be the first to bear this contract. Once done, he let the blood flow down his palm before placing a bloody handprint underneath his signature. The scroll leaped from his hands and disappeared in a snap.

Darkness clouded his vision and he felt himself slam against the grassy floor. Pain spasms shot through his spine making him gasp for air. He shakily got to his knees and tried to stand up but the burning sensation which invaded his senses made it hard for him to focus. His legs buckled underneath him and he was on the ground once more. Curling into a foetal position, he closed his eyes and waited for the worst.

What happened next baffled the young boy. Instead of seeing darkness, he was greeted with a soft gentle white light. He made a full three hundred and sixty degree turn and saw emptiness everywhere. He blinked and in a flash there was a woman staring down at him, a small heart-warming smile on her lips. She touched his chin lightly with her fingertips and leaned forward, kissing the boy tenderly on his forehead. _Welcome to our ranks, young summoner. _

That white world melted before Naruto's eyes, leaving in its place the familiar scenery of the woods where he had hidden himself. The woman took a step back and winked at him, her blue and green eyes bright with happiness. Before Naruto could ask what the hell was going on however, the woman had faded into the background. His eyes adjusted in the dark—one of the advantages of being the Kyuubi's host—and he realized that the three hours were almost up.

Raising his hand, he was surprised to see black markings crawl across his skin. He watched in fascination until the dark signs stopped shifting to form a spiral at the back of his palm. In the middle of this spiral was a long staff with a circular head piece which had three prominent points on top. That part seemed to quiver for a moment before exploding into tiny dots, making Naruto gasp. The dots quickly reformed, creating curvy lines which seemed to represent some kind of weapon—what it was Naruto could not discern. From all the weapon training he had done, he had never seen such a thing though it reminded him strongly of a crossbow.

_Wear your new clan symbol with pride, Summoner Naruto, as is your right._

He had no time to react to the voice in his head however, as he felt another presence near him. "So you did come," the voice was filled with amusement and a tinge of disbelief. "I wasn't really expecting the host of the Kyuubi to show compassion."

Naruto froze from his spot and slowly lifted his head to meet the calm cold eyes of Mizuki-sensei, another teacher from the Ninja Academy. Slung on the man's shoulder was the slumped form of Iruka-sensei. His hands balled into fists. "What did you do to him, teme?!"

"Why, nothing of course," the man smiled lopsidedly. "So if you'll give me the scroll, perhaps I'll give him back to you."

"Perhaps?" Naruto spat on the ground and formed a most familiar seal.

Mizuki's eyes bugged out in fear, but that was immediately replaced by an arrogant look on his face. "Do you think you can beat me just because you can make a successful Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" He snorted and threw Iruka-sensei aside like a worthless ragged doll. "I'm far stronger than that."

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Multiple Naruto clones popped around the man, making him tremble in fear. He had not expected for Naruto to have so many. Nevertheless, he remained somewhat confident, knowing that a chuunin's taijutsu levels would be unquestionably superior compared to that of a genin.

With that fact in mind, Mizuki let out maniacal roar of laughter and pulled out a sword from gods knew where. He became a blur as he decapitated the clones nearest to him. Naruto growled and took a step back, frustrated by the feeling of sudden helplessness. He _knew_ his own taijutsu levels should have been up to par with that of a regular chuunin, thanks to the tremendous amount of training he was given by his caretakers, and could have fought off Mizuki through the sheer amount of his clones alone, if it were not for the heaviness which suddenly started weighing him down. What was happening to him? He grimaced and clutched his stomach; his muscles constricted rather painfully. It seemed that the transformation the Summoning Contract was making him go through still wasn't finished. He blinked and noticed that Mizuki had managed to dispatch all of his clones. Another blink and he was suddenly against a tree, sensing a great pressure against his shoulder. He glared at Mizuki who was grinning down at him and raised his hand.

"Come forth and do battle, Ixion, horse-child of the Light!" Naruto spoke through gritted teeth. His finger pressed the trigger. "Thor's Hammer!"

A bolt of lightning shot out from the gun which Naruto was holding. Mizuki was thrown backwards from the force, slamming against a massive trunk, screaming in agony as a burning sensation coursed through his body. When the man could no longer move from the paralysis caused by the lightning, it retreated, forming the shape of a horse—one that Naruto recognized from the contract he had signed just a few hours ago. It bowed before him majestically before disappearing in a flash of light. _I approve of you, young lord. _The voice seemed to echo at the back of his mind. _Though I do believe your skills with a gun require some work. Your aim was rather...terrible._

He could only stare in awe at the strange weapon he held in his left hand. _The hell?! This looks just like that symbol tattooed on my hand._

_Well of course it is. It's your clan symbol, Summoner. It means that you've chosen the path of a gunner._

_Who's there?!_ Naruto thought, looking around in panic.

_It's me, Ixion, the first of your Summons._

Naruto did the only thing he could do next: he fainted.

* * *

Waking up inside a hospital room was on the top three things Naruto hated the most. The first two being Sasuke and having your ramen taken away from you by evil ramen-thirsty caretakers (who want you to eat healthy, but you don't believe them, bastards that they are). Respectively. He rolled off the bed, which had always overwhelmed his sense of smell with sharp acrid scents, and moved to see if the window was unlocked.

_Running off without saying goodbye to the nice people in white?_

"Who's there?" snapped Naruto, pivoting on the balls of his feet, a kunai appearing in his left hand. His shoulder burned angrily, reminding him of his recent injury.

_Now, now. No need to shout. In fact, you needn't even speak. Your thoughts speak a clear enough message._

"You still haven't answered my question, teme!"

_Didn't I tell you? I am Ixion, horse-child of the Light. A king amongst my people, though I doubt you'll get a chance to meet them; they are not of this world, after all._

"Oh." Naruto sat atop the lumpy bed. "So I can really summon you?"

_Yes._

"Can you, maybe, tell me what the hell happened, exactly? Coz I really don't get it. And what's the deal with calling me a summoner? Other shinobi can summon too."

_You signed a contract which binds us to you. Unlike a normal Summoning Contract, which I'm sure you're familiar with, this contract allows you access to one of the most powerful bloodlines ever. This means that we are yours, and yours alone, to command. Of course, once you've procreated—_

"Procre-wha?"

A sigh rumbled inside his mind. He clutched his head and frowned. Where was that sound coming from?! _When you've had children of your own, they'll be able to summon as well._

"Oh." Naruto blinked. "Cool! My bloodline rocks! I can't wait until that Uchiha-teme sees me summoning. He'll be so green with envy, Sakura-chan and the others will surely mistake him for a tree and forget all about him!"

_Naruto-sama, with great power comes great responsibility. You can't just flaunt this new ability. You must think about your duty as a summoner!_

"Say that again!" Naruto chirped excitedly.

_Say what again?_

"Call me Naruto-sama again! It sounds so fuckin' damn cool!"

If incorporeal beasts could sweat drop, Ixion would have had an extra large one by now. _Were you even listening to what I'm saying? No, I suppose not. Listen, boy, as our master, you now carry a most important duty. If you've noticed, the scroll which you signed looks worn out. That's because the others of our kind, Aeons as you'll come to call us, have disappeared. Some of them have broken off to seek a contract with other humans. Some have fallen into a deep slumber. Some have simply…forgotten their own existence. What you'll have to do, is find them and renew their oath of loyalty to you. When that happens, the scroll will recover some of its former glory._

"Wait. How would I know if the scroll has changed its appearance? It went _poof_ that day I signed the contract."

_We've given the scroll to Cerberus for now. If you wish to take a look at it, you will have to summon him. As to how you'll know who he is, the information will come to you in time.  
_

"Ok." Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes closed in concentration. "So...if I do look for the rest of them…does that mean I'll be even stronger than before?"

…_yes._ Answered Ixion in a defeated tone. _And each of us is able to teach you something. For example, I know of a handful of lightning jutsus which might prove useful to you._

"Then I'm in!" The blond genin grinned widely. "Last question, Ixion."

_Ask away, my boy._

"Where do I get a gun?"

* * *

Ino could barely contain her glee. Today was the day that they would find out who their teammates would be and she was feeling _very _lucky. _Oh! I do hope I get to be in Sasuke's team_. She thought wistfully, her hands clamped together in prayer, her eyes shining with excitement. The snap of the classroom door being shut close, pulled her out of her thoughts and she was about to shout at whoever the noisy brat was—I mean seriously, you don't have class if you can't even close the door like a proper gentleman—when she stopped, her mouth flapping open in a most unlady-like manner.

In strode a young man wearing a white shirt underneath a dark green sleeveless jacket, two bandoliers criss-crossing in front of his chest. Dark green goggles decorated the top of his forehead whilst the hitai-ate, which was usually found there, was tied against his right arm. He wore a pair of black cargo pants and, strapped against his hip, was some kind of weapon Ino had never seen before.

She examined his face once more and she could not help but let out a tiny gasp of surprise. This guy couldn't be Naruto! Where was the orange? The eye-blinding garish color which Naruto seemed to like so much?!

"Good morning, Shikamaru!" He waved cheerfully at the lazy genin and sat beside him, a few desks away from Ino. "I'm early for once. Can you believe it? Okami-baa-san wouldn't let me be late for this."

Ino's ears perked in curiosity. She'd heard about Naruto's neighbours some years ago, when the teachers started noticing the sudden leaps of improvement in Naruto's training, though little was said about them. All she knew was that they were some kind of combat veterans. Were they responsible for Naruto's change in clothing? If that was the case, then why didn't they make him change any sooner? Ino had to admit, this Naruto was more pleasant to look at, now that all the orange was gone.

Too busy examining Naruto, she didn't notice Sasuke enter the room, nor did she notice the gigantic amount of fangirls trailing after him. If she did, she would have been ecstatic to note that he had decided to sit right next to her.

"Sit down you lot." Iruka-sensei tapped his clipboard against the table in irritation. Ino looked up and was unaware of the heated glares being shot her way. "You are all genin now and I had hoped that the sudden change in rank would make some of you more mature—" His clipboard clattered against the table. "Naruto! You're early for once."

"Of course, sensei!" Naruto grinned and did a thumbs-up. "I wouldn't miss this for three bowls of ramen!"

After the laughter had died down, Iruka-sensei began telling them what it meant to be a genin and the duties required of them by their jounin-sensei. It was a short speech—far shorter than the ones the man usually gave—and before Ino knew it, the man had already started assigning the genins into three-man teams. She leaned forward in anticipation.

"For Team Seven, we have Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura"—a cheer erupted from behind Ino—"and Akamichi Chouji."

Ino's eager smile dropped into a frustrated frown. What had she done wrong? Was she not beautiful enough? _Well, at least look at it this way. If Chouji is with them, that means I won't be placed in a second generation Ino-Shika-Cho. _Her father had high hopes for such a combination—much to Ino's chagrin—and would be sorely disappointed when he found out that the Hokage decided to put Ino in another team instead. Not that she cared.

"For Team Eleven, we have Yamanaka Ino, Aburame Shino and Uzumaki Naruto. Your jounin-sensei is Morino Ibiki."

She raised both eyebrows in mild astonishment and saw Naruto waving at her from below. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt her face flush. She didn't mind having an Aburame for a teammate. Bugs were kind of gross to look at, but she knew that they could be very helpful, especially when it came to plants. Plus, he rivalled Sasuke when it came to grades—the only reason why he was so unpopular in the first place was because not many girls could stand insects.

Naruto on the other hand...

_Well, as long as he promises not to be too much of a jerk, I guess I can stand being in the same team as he is._ Ino thought hotly, avoiding the boy's gaze.

"Hah! I beat you, Ino-pig." Sakura smirked, wagging her pointer finger in front of Ino's face. "I have Sasuke and you don't!"

She hesitated briefly and matched Sakura's smirk with one of her own. "So what? Unlike some people, Sakura, I have a life which does not revolve around Sasuke. He may be hot as hell can be, but I won't spend the rest of my days weeping over the fact that he wasn't in my team. And just because he's on yours doesn't mean that he's married to you either."

She flipped her hair for good measure and sauntered out of the room, congratulating herself for a job well done.

"Hey, Ino-chan!" She saw Naruto jogging towards her with Shino in tow. "We should eat together since we're teammates now, neh?"

She agreed and the three of them headed for a cool spot underneath a massive tree. As they were preparing for their meal, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba—members of Team Eight—as well as Chouji came to join them.

"You smell like you've got some good food with you," Kiba explained and motioned for his teammates to sit beside them. "And Sasuke, bastard that he is, wouldn't let anyone eat with him. So we brought Chouji as well!"

"What about Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked enthusiastically. Ino rolled her eyes and took out the large bento she had prepared. _Well, it's no secret that he's been crushing over her for years._

"She didn't want to come," Chouji answered dejectedly.

"Probably still trailing after Sasuke. His fangirls really don't know when to give up," she spoke flippantly and handed out portions to all of them, making sure to triple Chouji's share. Hinata had also brought a lot of food which Ino was thankful for—she doubted she could feed seven hungry mouths, including her own.

"We got Kurenai-sensei as our jounin. You know if she's any good?"

"Women are troublesome. That's all you really need to know about them."

_Typical Shikamaru answer._ "I'm sorry but I've only heard of her in the passing."

The others shook their heads as if to say, 'Sorry, but we don't know her either.'

It was Shino who actually had something to say this time. "She's a genjutsu specialist. Father says she is a good candidate for jounin-sensei and her training regime is strict but reasonable."

"Oh." Kiba bit into a riceball. "I guess we can deal with that."

"What about our jounin-sensei? Do you guys know who he is?"

"He's ANBU." All eyes turned towards Naruto who was eating a cup of instant ramen. Ino made a note to hide his supply; too much of that stuff wasn't good for anyone. "I don't know which section he's in but I do know he's something fierce. Pretty damn ugly too."

"That's no way to speak about your jounin-sensei!" Hinata gasped and blushed subsequently, ducking her head in embarrassment.

"You're right, I suppose," the blond genin scratched his head sheepishly. "I was just quoting Okami-baa-san."

"What's up with the clothes anyway?"

"This?" Naruto paused for a moment, before answering. "Okami-baa-san's been pestering me to get a new set of clothes. Plus, Ixio—I mean, err...Uma-kun told me that my clan colors were green and white. He's a friend of the family."

"And that?" Ino pointed at the weapon Naruto was carrying. "What's that?"

"It's a gun." He pulled it out in one fluid movement and rested it on top of his left forearm. "Bang!" He laughed and put it back in place. "Uma says I'm not allowed to use it unless I really have to."

"But _what_ is it, exactly? I've never seen anything like it before."

"It's a long-ranged weapon. Other than that, I really don't know how to explain it. It's better if you just wait and see for yourself what it is."

* * *

"I leave him in your capable hands, Ibiki. Don't you dare break him," the old woman spoke, regarding her taller companion with a hardened gaze.

Ibiki sighed and raised his hands. "If he breaks under my tutelage then he isn't worth my time, Oka-san. I'm the commanding officer of the Torture and Interrogation Unit. I can't just drag a bunch of brats into the squad. My subordinates would think me foolish."

"You know of the Kedamono clan?"

"Yes, but wasn't that clan extinct some hundred years ago?"

"The bloodline has been awakened again. They've chosen him—"

"Then wouldn't it be better if he was placed in a combat-special team? Summoning huge monsters isn't exactly discreet."

She glared at her son icily. "I did not raise my son to be rude. Don't you dare interrupt me again."

"Yes, Oka-san."

"And anyway, I've already talked to the Hokage about this. He has no objections. Not after I was done with him anyway." She sniffed haughtily. "And, if you must know, that boy's taken the path of a gunner which blends well with his previous training. You've got yourself an assassin, Ibiki. I'm sure you can handle that."

"Yes, Oka-san."

She nodded and slipped on her ANBU mask, disappearing in a puff of smoke and leaves. Ibiki wondered why his mother still carried the wolf mask. It was a given that all shinobi would have to surrender their hitai-ate as well as any other equipment which would associate them with the shinobi world once they've retired.

"Oka-san's always been a stubborn bitch." Ibiki said offhandedly and jumped off the thick tree branch he was standing on, only moments before. It was time to meet the brats.

* * *

A/N: Yes, yes. This is a rewrite to my other fic Jutsu Creation Specialist. If you've read that, you'll notice that this is very different in terms of content. That's because I'm trying to cut back on the amount of OCs Naruto has to be dependent on. Plus, I've always wanted to write a Gunner!Naruto. x3

This fic was inspired by Summoner Naruto (written by Mage Alia) and Something to Die For (written by Macavity the Mysterious Cat). The idea of Naruto summoning using guns was taken from the anime Final Fantasy Unlimited.

Did I mention I like reviews? I live for them.


	2. Go Fish

Chapter Two – Go Fish

An old man with long greying hair tied in a simple ponytail sat hunched in the corner of his room, reading through the box of scrolls feverishly, a maddened glint in his dark green eyes. Sweat trickled down his cheeks, smearing the thick splotches of black which decorated his wizened face.

"Shouta-kun?" The words echoed across the room, making him snap his head in surprise. Scrambling to his feet, he walked towards the door, almost tripping on some wire which was in the way.

"Izumi-san," he wiped the dirt off his face with the sleeve of his shirt and smiled. "What brings you here?"

"Not a social visit, if that's what you're wondering," she snapped, taking off the wolf mask she wore.

"Oh, you injure me, my dear," Shouta spoke light-heartedly and let the woman in. "Surely you know that I am past that age."

"No one is too old to love again," replied Izumi. "Have you gone through the scrolls Naruto has given you?" She sat stiffly on the only working chair left in the room, taking a peek at the scrolls Shouta was perusing only moments before.

"Almost done actually," admitted Shouta. "There _was_ a lot of material there. The technology the Kedamono clan had was far more advanced than I could have _ever_ imagined. If others got a hold of such information—"

"There would be hell to pay for a certain stupid old man who couldn't keep his gab shut." Izumi leaned forward, her knuckles white from clutching the mask too tightly. "There was a reason why the Kedamono clan kept such technology hidden from the rest of the world."

"A reason which I will gladly respect," Shouta answered smoothly. "I am a weapons expert, Izumi-san. I know of the dangers of an extremely powerful weapon in the wrong hands. What I _would_ like is consent to teach Naruto the necessary skills to forge a gun of his own, once the time is right. Though the gun I've made for him is a good sturdy weapon, it lacks the special touches of a customized one, designed for _his_ hands only. With your permission of course?"

Izumi visibly relaxed, though her expression still looked somewhat strained. "Of course, Shouta-kun. It would be callous of me to deny him of the heritage that was thrust upon him." She stood up and shook her head when Shouta offered her a cup of tea. "I must retire to my room. I fear my back was not what it used to be. She rested a hand on the older man's shoulder and smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure Naruto will be thrilled to learn that he will be able to build guns of his own. Would you like me to tell him the good news or would you rather do the pleasure?"

"I will tell him," Shouta answered after a moment's pause. "Over dinner perhaps—somewhere other than that Ichiraku store he frequents. I'm sure Umino has good intentions—treating the boy to some ramen once in a while—but he really does need more of the healthier stuff, growing boy that he is."

"True." Izumi exited Shouta's room, shielding her face of the brilliant morning light with her mask. She had always been much more comfortable in the dark.

Her feet led her to her own room, which was just besides Naruto. She allowed her lips to lift a little as fond memories of the boy filtered through her mind. She had first met him some years ago when the Sandaime had a talk with the apartment manager concerning living arrangements for the child. It was uncommon for them to see such young people in that particular district which was strewn with the elderly. The district had been especially made after the Kyuubi attack; they had realized how much of a liability the senior citizens were and placed them strategically near the evacuation areas. Of course, not _all_ the elders lived in that district. Indeed, it was the majority of them whose families could not be bothered to support them who lived there.

When she had first laid eyes on the child, she had felt...weary. Naruto had been a bundle of energy, running around the place with such enthusiasm that it made Izumi tired by simply watching him. Later that day, she had seen him sitting on top of the apartment's rooftops, looking a bit forlorn. With the right words and some gentle needling in her part, the boy had finally admitted to his own insecurities and, indirectly, to the abuse that the rest of the villagers had given to him. Izumi was furious to say the least. She knew she had to do something to make things better for the boy.

No one would agree to be friends with him so Izumi had a talk with some of her acquaintances who, in turn, had a talk with their grandsons and granddaughters, reprimanding them for denying the boy of his right to friendship. It did not take long before Naruto finally created his own circle of friends—albeit a small one—whom he could be comfortable with.

No one would sell anything to him, and the few who did, sold items to him at an outrageous price for products which were obviously of an inferior quality. Izumi appealed to some of the tenants of the apartment who used to be seamstresses and weapon experts to provide the boy with items of a better quality. At first, they agreed to her pleas grudgingly—many of them _had_ lost families to the Kyuubi no Kitsune after all, and old people took a long time to forgive—but after seeing Naruto's eager smiles and heartfelt gratitude at the kindness they had shown him, some of them had grown to like the boy and had later on decided for themselves to become part of the boy's life. Shouta was just one among many of them, being the first to accept Naruto when he saw that the boy treated his weapons with something akin to awed respect. The googles which the boy proudly carried with him everywhere used to be Shouta's, until the old man had given it to him when Naruto had shown an interest in forging weapons.

No one would teach him anything sensible in the Academy so Izumi took it upon herself to train the boy in the arts of ninjutsu and genjutsu. Most of the jutsus she knew were for higher level shinobi however, which prompted her to teach Naruto how to create his own array of jutsus. At that time, she had no idea that Naruto would acquire a unique bloodline of his own, so her hope was that his ingenuity with jutsus would give him something to pass down when he finally had children of his own. She also realized that his taijutsu skills were lacking and, seeing as she was not the fighter she used to be, had asked Yugao-chan, Hyosuke's grandchild, to train with the boy. Like Izumi, Naruto had given her a nickname—Hyo-chan—because of the ANBU mask she wore which strongly resembled that of a leopard.

All in all, she was pleased that many were beginning to like Naruto more and more. He may still be the village pariah but at least he no longer felt intimidated by the vicious glares sent his way. He had accepted long ago that not many people liked him because of the demon inside him. He had also accepted the fact that if he wanted others to change their opinion of him, he had to work hard to make that happen.

* * *

"Go fish," Naruto spoke, grinning foxily at Ino. They had untied her just a few moments after they entered the interrogation room, and started on a game of Go Fish, a game which he seemed to excel at. Ino made a face and drew a card from the deck, staring at her two opponents suspiciously.

Team Eleven met with their sensei on top of the Hokage Monument about an hour ago. They quickly introduced themselves to each other, with Ibiki-sensei having the least amount of information to say about himself. He was frank and direct to the point, immediately explaining about the extra _exam_ which the jounin-sensei would administer to find out if they were worthy of the hitai-ate they wore. He took Ino to the interrogation room in the ANBU headquarters after blind-folding the girl—it seemed that until they earned their right to be called shinobi of Konoha, they were not to be trusted with information, like the ANBU's location for example.

Ino was briefed with her role in their little exam. She was to be their prisoner, carrying vital information which they would have to extract from her through any sort of means necessary. She understood the implications of Ibiki-sensei's decision. Ino was the only female in the team and therefore the "weakest" of the three, though she would not admit to this readily given the choice. She dreaded the torture—after all the man was the Head of the Torture and Interrogation Unit, certainly the name meant something?—but oddly enough, she trusted Naruto and Shino not to harm her. Not by much anyway.

She certainly wasn't expecting this. "Aren't you even remotely curious about the information?" She inquired, glaring at Shino who was nonchalantly handing Naruto a Jack.

He shrugged, "I will not torture my own teammate."

"Even if it means failing?"

"Even if it means failing, dattebayo!" chirped Naruto, dropping the set of Jacks he had with him. "Do you have a King?"

Ino grudgingly gave him two of her cards. "So what's the point of us playing Go Fish? I thought you were trying to send me a message, but I guess I was wrong. Unless I still haven't gotten the message after how many rounds of this blasted game?"

"I'm not really that good with making up cryptic messages on the fly," Naruto admitted. "And I know you won't be willing to give us the information because then Ibiki-sensei would fail you. That's how it usually works, right?"

Ino hesitated before nodding silently to Naruto's query. The truth was: if she did tell them the information, Ibiki-sensei would fail _them,_ not her. Oh, she knew Ibiki-sensei was playing with them. She understood what the test was for—to find out if they had the potential to work together as a team—and, if her guess was correct, the three of them would fail regardless, if she _did_ tell them the information. Either that, or he was looking for potential apprenticeships and, if Ino did tell them the information because she cared more about mission—which is basically to pass—than her teammates, then all Ino had to do was give up the information to show Ibiki-sensei that she was serious enough in her work as a shinobi, not to care about casualties. Doing that would, of course, mean that she would have to give up her relationship—however tangential it was right now—to acquire her certification as a full-fledged shinobi. The chance of this theory actually being reality was pretty slim, which was why Ino didn't linger too much on the subject. Also, even if she _did_ pass on her own, she'd be alone, and she was uncertain as to whether or not she could handle the workload by herself.

This was all mind games, and mind games were supposed to be Ino's specialty. _Problem is: I can't do anything in this situation._ Ino mused unhappily. _I can only rely on those two to think of a way of acquiring information without having to use me as a source._

As if on cue, Naruto threw down his cards and yawned in a rather exaggerated manner. "I'm hungry," he announced and stretched. "Come on, Shino, let's eat for now. I can't think with an empty stomach." To Ino, he said, "You want anything?"

The blonde kunoichi stared at him, wearing a drop-jawed expression of utter surprise. "What?" But they hadn't even done anything!

He leaned forward and gave her one of his trademark foxy grins before whispering, "Leave everything to us, Ino."

She could only watch as Naruto swaggered towards the door, excitement visible in his features. Shino, on the other hand, just looked as nonchalant as ever as he followed Naruto outside. Did that mean they actually knew something already? How did they do that? She hadn't even told them the information they needed!

* * *

_Naruto Clone Number One—later dubbed as Nezumi for his penchant of sticking his nose in other people's business—walked self-assuredly towards the restricted area of the library, looking for all the world to see as if he belonged there. And rightly so, because he had taken the precaution to use a transformation technique, giving him the features of a non-descript man wearing the uniform of a library-nin. He knew that once he stepped into the restricted area, the library-nins on duty would be alerted of an alien chakra trespassing in their archives, so he had Clone Number Two, or Shisha, with him to distract them as much as he could. There was only one library-nin working right now, and Nezumi hoped Shisha would be enough. Naruto only made two clones to avoid being too conspicuous, and Nezumi had to make do with what he had._

_He took a deep breath and nodded to his counterpart before taking a step forward. Foreign chakra washed over him, making his skin tingle uncomfortably. His eyes hastily scanned the bookshelves until he found what he was looking for. He pulled the book off the shelf and squatted behind one of the larger boxes, staying alert to his partner-in-crime's actions—the only time he could afford to stay inside that area was equivalent to how long Shisha could stay alive before the library-nin dispersed him._

_He found what he was looking for after the sixth page. Behind him, Shisha yelped in surprise before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. He stood up, threw the book as hard as he could—he knew library-nins cared about the safety of their books above all else, which made the job so exacting in itself, especially if one had to fight inside a room full of books—and quickly formed the uma hand seal, followed by the tora. He smirked and bowed his head at the flustered library-nin. "Kai."_

Naruto stopped in front of Ichiraku's Ramen shop and beckoned for Shino to enter. "Hello, Oji-san," he called out and settled on top of a stool. Shino allowed a curious look to occupy his normally-blank face briefly, and sat beside him. "A bowl of miso ramen please."

"Were you being frank when you said you could not think with an empty stomach, Naruto?"

"Yep!" Naruto attempted a smile, but the death-glare he received discouraged him. "Well, no, actually. It's just that, we had to go here anyway, and I really was hungry so I thought I might as well order something."

"What would you like?" Ayame inquired politely.

"Shio ramen," answered Shino, his gaze still directed to Naruto.

"Neh, Ayame-chan, is it true that you failed your genin exams five years ago?"

She flushed under Naruto's eager gaze and ducked her head. "Is there some kind of reason as why you brought that up, Naruto-kun, or were you just looking to start a conversation?" she asked politely, struggling to remain calm.

"She's right, you know," Teuchi spoke. "You don't talk to a young lady about such things—especially when they're helping their otou-san cook lunch. They might _accidentally_ poison you after all."

"Oh." The crestfallen look on Naruto's face sent Ayame into a fit of giggles. "I just wanted to know because there's some information I need to acquire, and I think Ayame can help me in that area." He placed both hands on the wooden counter and pouted at her, "Ibiki-sensei was supposed to be your jounin-sensei, right?"

"Y-yes." A strange twinkle appeared in Ayame's eyes. Shino shifted uneasily on his seat; the killing intent emanating from the young woman's figure sent his bugs into an agitated frenzy. Naruto remained unfazed. "So what if he was?"

"Because you'll know something we don't. Tell us, where are those_ important_ documents he was hiding? He said we needed to get those documents if we want to pass, and I ain't torturing Ino even if it's a life or death situation, dattebayo!"

"He's...your jounin-sensei?" Ayame laughed and shook her head. "Alright, I'll tell you, but you owe me. Big time." She meticulously placed their orders in front of them and leaned forward, a predatory grin on her face. "Tell me, Naruto, how well do you know the Hokage Monument?"

Naruto blinked and stared at Ayame. The noodles his chopsticks held slid one by one as he continued to gape at her. "W-what about the Hokage Monument?"

"Oh, come on," teased Ayame, "you knew who did it. _Officially_, they couldn't pinpoint the perpetrator but it's common knowledge 'round here that you ah...added a little colour to the Hokage's faces."

His eyes flickered to his chopsticks, and he gulped, feeling sweat slide down his cheeks. "If I said yes, will Iruka come bursting inside your stalls demanding that I clean up the mess which I _might_ have made?"

"We would _never_ sell out our biggest costumer, Naruto. We're better than that." Teuchi faked looking hurt. "Besides, someone else is already cleaning up the mess for you. What could Iruka possibly do if he finds out now?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "A lot of...very unpleasant things. So what about the Hokage Monument?"

"Your documents are hidden there. Inside the Third's nose to be exact."

"Thank you, Ayame-chan! Shino, I need you to go retrieve the documents from the Hokage's Monument. I'll go find Fujino-san so that she can bring us back to the Headquarters." Naruto paused and made a face. "I am not about to go back to there and go scrounging for those documents, Shino. They'll probably accuse me of trying to deface the Monument again."

"For the record," Shino spoke slowly, fixing his sunglasses with steady hands, "I wasn't questioning your orders, Naruto." He disappeared in a flutter of insects, making Ayame whistle in a low appreciative tone.

"That boy's got talent with exits."

"Wish you can say the same about me, but I'm not one for exits." Naruto slid off his seat and nodded to Teuchi. "Put that in my tab, will you? I'm out of ryo right now." He jogged outside the stall and stopped near one of the intersections. "Oh damn. Shino disappeared before he could tell me where to find Fujino-san." He slapped his forehead and sighed theatrically. "Oh well. I guess I'll have to do it the hard way." His fingers formed a very familiar seal. "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

"Ara, ara, it's not every day a thousand tumbling blonds land in front of you, throwing curses right and left," Fujino spoke calmly, ruby red eyes glittering with mirth.

"Did you or did you not blindfold them before bringing them here, Fujino?" snapped Ibiki, glaring at his subordinate.

"And the words...such long obscene words. Not something you'd say to a proper lady."

"You're hardly proper. My question, Fujino? I'd like it answered today."

"Of course I did, sir," she answered in that same light-hearted tone. "It's procedures after all." She took a sip of her tea and smiled serenely.

"So why are you still here exactly?"

"To watch you as you congratulate your new subordinates and welcome them into our unit, perhaps?" She leered.

Ibiki grunted and turned his attention to the two genin watching their verbal tennis with more than a bit of interest. "I want a full report as to how you acquired the documents."

"We figured, you _might_ have done this test before, seeing as you seem pretty confident about your test, sir, so we decided to look up some...files not normally available to the public and looked for all the other genin teams you failed. At first, I thought of looking through the Hokage's files, but after seeing his office? It's a mini-jungle in there. After the first fifty files, my clones just had to give up. So I figured, where's the next best place to search? The library, of course. We met with the former genin, Someya Ayame, in Ichiraku and she told us where the documents were hidden. Shino retrieved it after lunch and we went here as fast as we could. We were _very_ fortunate that you hadn't changed the location, sir." Naruto spoke brightly. "Elsewise, we wouldn't have found it. By the way," he placed the box on top of Ibiki's desk and opened it, "how are these ninjutsu scrolls important exactly?"

"Do you know how to use any of them?" Ibiki asked, after recovering from the initial shock.

"Well, no, sir."

"Exactly. Knowledge is power. These scrolls are _important_ because without them, how will you be spending your mornings training? I certainly don't have the time of day to train brats like you." To Fujino he added, "Remind me to ask one of our agents to train them in the careful art of giving out reports. I think I'm going to get a headache from his unnecessary babble."

"I am hurt, sir. Why remind you, if I could train just them myself?" inquired Fujino.

"I'd rather not, Fujino. The last time you tried to teach someone...let's just say he was mentally scarred for life."

"I was training him on the subtle art of killing, sir. He had a weak disposition. It _wasn't _my fault." She left her tea on the desk and shooed the two boys out of the room. When they finally left, she asked, "So, what do you think?"

"Technically, they passed." Ibiki admitted. "But, the female had not participated in anyway. She was left in the dark. I'm wondering now if I should let her pass as well. This test _was_ about teamwork, and as far as I can tell, she didn't do anything for the team."

"Oh, but she did, sir." Fujino spoke innocently. "She didn't give away the information. She kept her mouth shut, which ensured that the two of them passed. Sometimes, it's all about trust. Isn't that what this test was supposedly about? Normally, they would have passed simply by refusing to torture her on account of the fact that she was their teammate." Her eyes hardened for a moment. "And she has a name, Ibiki. Her name is Yamanaka Ino. I'd rather you not refer to her as 'the female' ever again."

"Is that insubordination I hear?"

"No, that's a very pissed off female, you're hearing. One who does not take lightly to having her one of her potential subordinates disparaged by male sexist authority figures." She grabbed her cup of tea, her face slipping back to its polite mask. "Just think of it this way, sir. They exceeded your expectations. Surely that would merit for something?"

Ibiki watched Fujino leave and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why am I surrounded by such strong-willed women?"

* * *

A/N: In this fanfic, Naruto never got caught defacing the Hokage's Monument. He had better teachers after all. Oh, and a thumbs-up to anyone who can tell me which anime Fujino's in.

I know it's shorter than the first chapter. I'll try to keep it longer next time. Updates, as usual, will be notified in my Bio.

Japanese names:

Nezumi means rat.

Ookami means wolf.

Kedamono means beast.

Hyo means leopard.

Shisha means casualty or messenger.

Uma means horse.

Tora means tiger.


	3. Welcome to the Team

Chapter Three – Welcome to the Team

"From this day onward, the three of you are no longer genin." Ibiki announced dourly, examining each young face with black obsidian eyes which betrayed not even the slightest of emotions. "Until the day you three graduate from the Morino Academy of Special ANBU Training, I will _own_ your asses. You are not this village's shinobi anymore. You're _mine. _Understood?"

"What he means, is that the three of you are now ANBUs-in-training. That means that until you pass a proficiency exam telling you which division you are, you won't actually have a permanent title to your name," explained Fujino, her own red eyes glinting with mirth. "Taishou has kindly adopted you three as his apprentices, and he has already asked the other divisions to help in your training later on. That also means that you won't be answering to the Hokage anymore."

"But why? Isn't ANBU under the Hokage's chain of command?" Naruto asked.

"Ever heard of plausible deniability?" Ibiki growled. "We do the dirty work here. We do things that normal shinobi don't even _dream_ of doing. Thing is, the Hokage has to be all nice and friendly-like to his people, and even to his enemies. If one of them accuses him of having us do something that isn't legit...well, he'd know nothing about it, and it's only our asses that get punished 'round here." He scratched one of the many scars which decorated his face, continuing, "See, you don't have the choice of being all proper anymore. You're ANBU, and ANBU don't get names like genin, chuunin or jounin. Since you're my apprentices, you're not _formally_ shinobi of the village anymore—not until you've passed a test saying you're ANBU. If you so much as sneeze at me, and I find that disrespectful, mind, I can fire your asses and you'll be begging for work in the streets. 'Course, we ain't telling everyone about our grand scheme—ANBU matters remain within ANBU walls—so you don't go tattling to your friends. Same goes to the Hokage. Keep your bloody mouths shut."

"That means, to the rest of the world, you're still just a genin team. The only time we actually reveal otherwise, is if we find that you three are of no use to us, in which case, we simply send you back to the Academy where you can wait for another jounin-sensei to take over your team. Of course, you'll have to do at least one more year of Academy work, and that's only if you pass the tests a second time." Fujino smiled at the three youngsters—all wearing varying expressions of shock and nervousness—and added, "Taishou's fair, if it helps...unless you do something which really pisses him off, and even then you'd probably get off lightly. Oh, the stories I could tell about his old underlings."

"Fujino," Ibiki spoke in what sounded like a warning.

"Ara, ara, is the taishou angry at me again?" teased Fujino. "See? He can be nice at times. He could have cut off my ears by now, or quite possibly even my tongue, but he hasn't, because he values my services too much."

"I'm only keeping you because the other divisions think you're too much of a psychopath," Ibiki snapped.

"Everyone in TAI is, Taishou," Fujino reminded him.

"TAI?" It was Ino's turn to ask.

"Torture and Interrogation," Naruto supplied. "It's an acronym."

Ibiki sniffed and leaned back against his chair, folding his arms huffily. "Since you seem eager to tell them more about what they're to expect—my punishment to bastard disloyal underlings notwithstanding—why don't you go ahead and talk. I'll interrupt if I think you're holding something back."

"Or rather, when I'm saying too much, right, Taishou?" She asked. Knowing that she wouldn't get an answer out of him, she turned to her three new underlings and said, "Taishou's a very busy man, so you'll be answering to me most of the time. Yes, Naruto?"

"Sorry if I'm interrupting but uh, why you? No offense, but I just want to know who it is I'm actually answering to."

"Fujino is my third-in-command. She doesn't do any field work for me so she was the ideal choice for when it came to who would take over your training." He raised his hand, stopping Naruto from asking another question. "Not a lot of villages like Fujino. She did a lot of damage during the Third Great Shinobi War, so she's made a lot of enemies in foreign shinobi territory."

"The Cloud nins were going to kill my most precious people, Taishou. They killed Akihiko and Shinjiro-sensei. I couldn't let them kill Natsuki too," Fujino muttered darkly. Sighing, she shook her head and reached for the cup of tea which appeared to be by her side all along. It baffled the three young shinobi, the way she always seemed to have a cup of tea about her person, though none of them had asked her how that was even possible. "Let's just say that I'm not going out of Konoha anytime soon and leave it at that." Her expression relaxed, and the serene smile returned. "Now where was I? Ara, ara, Naruto's been a naughty boy—dragging me off topic like this. As I was saying, the three of you will be under my command most of the time. If I think you'll be useful helping the Cryptology division—which isn't really part of ANBU, but they're a useful group to know, if you need a certain enemy message decoded—I'll send you there, even if it means, simply having to file away their paperwork."

"The crypto-nins are a bunch of lazy assholes. If it weren't for young Shiho-san over there, I doubt they could even function properly as a group," Ibiki cut in.

"If _I_ think you need to learn some chakra-control exercises, I'll teach you some. This is why one of the things we'll be doing first is to have you three do a mock-battle against me, tomorrow morning so that I can assess your abilities," Fujino continued and shot Ibiki an irritated look. "In terms of missions, you'll be taking some D-class missions for the Hokage to keep up with the pretence, but we'll try to keep that in moderation. D-class missions may be helpful for character-building, but for your own personal growth, they are frankly just a waste of time. I'll be looking to set you up with missions which the Hokage would normally rank as B or C. Of course, all this would be the _under-the-table_ kind, and your payments will be coming from the ANBU's coffers."

"Which we acquire, in the same _under-the-table_ kind of way."

"There's also the issue of your clothing. Keep in mind that we _will_ be doing a variety of missions, and your clothes won't always be suitable." Fujino spoke, looking pointedly at both Ino and Naruto. "For example, though your clothes might be good for combat"—she gestured towards the gun and bandoliers which Naruto wore on his person—"there will be times when you must look inconspicuous. On retrieval missions, you must also need to move fast, and such objects might hamper your movement." She paused, a thoughtful expression on her face. "A henge might be a solution, but on enemy territory, such actions would be considered dangerous; some people are sharp enough to sense even the smallest of jutsus. By using henge, you might as well wave a sign about saying, 'I'm a target. Hit me.' We'll have to think about what kinds of clothes you should wear in the future."

"Fujino's just looking for an excuse to dress you three up," Ibiki observed derisively, leaning against the palm of his left hand.

Fujino rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Remember Kumogakure? You went there for a diplomat mission wearing full-body armour and a simple henge. And _then_ what happened? They were giving you a tour to the Academy there, and one of the kids accidentally expelled too much chakra, dispelling your henge. They _thought_ you were enemy shinobi, the way you looked."

"I happen to be comfortable wearing full-body armour," answered Ibiki defensively. "Formal wear just doesn't suit me."

"You barely got out of there alive," Fujino spoke flatly, narrowing her eyes.

"I didn't want that mission in the first place!"

"The Kage's daughter had a _crush_ on you. The Sandaime thought it would be a tactical advantage for us if you went there for the peace treaty."

Ibiki grunted and pushed off his desk, walking towards the door. "I need coffee," he said to no one in particular, exiting the room, a sullen look on his face.

"And that is exactly why you should only use henges as a last resort," Fujino said solemnly, taking another sip of her tea. "You'll be reporting to my office at zero, five hundred hours every day on week days, and at zero, seven hundred hours on weekends. Any questions?"

Naruto raised his hand hesitantly. "How exactly do you manage to stay alive for so long, the way you act around him, Fujino-san?"

"I honestly don't know," Fujino spoke innocently. "And that's Fujino-_sensei _to you, by the way. Think of me as your jounin-sensei. Except I don't very much like rules, I don't have to do the paperwork for any of your missions, and I don't wear jounin vests because they clash horribly with my kimonos. Any _other _questions?"

"If we do out-of-the-village missions, who will accompany us as our jounin-sensei?" Ino inquired.

"Good question. We'll burn that bridge when we get there." She tilted her head. "Or is it cross? You know, I always confuse those two."

"Fujino-sensei, I'm afraid that I cannot be here by five o'clock in the morning every day, due to conflicts with my training. I can talk to my outo-san about this, and perhaps move my training to a different time, though I'd really prefer to keep the schedule that I already have." Shino spoke for the first time since the conversation started. He didn't seem particularly fond of talking, and even now he seemed hesitant to speak. "Would seven o'clock sound better?"

"I`ve worked with Aburames before. I know how much they value their routines," Fujino acknowledged. "Very well, you may report at a later time, but you must write a detailed report of your training during that time. You may skip the actual details of it, if you feel that you'll be giving away clan secrets, but I'd at least like to hear progress from you. Is that satisfactory to you?"

"Yes, thank you."

"My turn to ask a question," Fujino said brightly, placing her cup on the desk just besides her. Clamping her hands together, she asked in a light-hearted tone, "What do you think about body piercing?"

* * *

Naruto was exiting the ANBU building—there were five of them, though Naruto had only ever visited one—when Ixion interrupted his thoughts. _I see you've passed your test, Naruto-sama. Congratulations._

"Well, I _am_ brilliant, aren't I?" Naruto asked loudly. He made a face as he felt civilians gaze at him with a mixture of distrust and confusion. _I guess I can't go talkin' out loud. _He thought sourly, heading towards the direction of his apartment. _Unless I want the word crazy and whatever synonyms it has, being added to their arsenal of curse words, for when they're lookin' for a fight against me._

_They must be stupid then; only idiots look for fights they know they can't win against._

_Hah._ Naruto snorted. _You haven't been here long enough, trust me. Ever know of divine favour? Well, the villagers believe that since I'm some kind of bakemono, they'd win against me, no matter what the odds. Something to do with the gods being in their favour and all._

_Then they are even bigger idiots. _Ixion concluded solemnly. _So, are you having any trouble with the clothes?_

_Not at all; they fit me perfectly! Okami-baa-san knows some really good people, neh?_

_Indeed. What about the gun? Is it to your satisfaction?_

_I've tried shooting, but it's really hard, and recoil's always a bitch. Shouta-jiji says I need to practice on my stance and strengthen my arms. But overall, it's still pretty nifty. _He hesitated, before adding, _I'm not used to the weight though. It's kinda unbalancing, and I think the bandoliers will get in the way, if I ever do hand to hand combat. That's what Fujino-sensei said anyway._

_I may have a solution for that. Remember the scrolls you found in the Kedamono estate?_

_Yeah, some of them are in my apartment. I think I'll need some more space if I want to build my own scroll library, _Naruto admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. _My room's a mess, and even if I do clean it up, it's still too small to accommodate everything._

_You needn't worry about that, Naruto. _Ixion paused, as if considering something. Finally, he spoke. _I need you to do a Kage Bunshin, Naruto-sama. Can you do that?_

_Uh, sure._ Naruto didn't even bother forming the hand seals. He simply let his chakra stream out of him and felt it form a perfect copy of himself. He had done enough clones in the past few months—clones he used to orchestrate his devious plans to get back on the villagers—enough that he could now summon a horde of them without even batting an eyelid. Sometimes, he still formed the seal, but that was only for show.

What stunned him was the feeling of something—a presence of some kind, perhaps?—leave his body. He turned around to make a comment to his doppelganger, and almost bumped into a man with long snowy white hair tied in a ponytail and eyes of an icy blue, staring at him with something akin to amusement. He had a muscled frame, and reminded Naruto of a blacksmith, though his arms did not bear the burn marks of a man who spent his days in a smithy. "How do I look?"

"I-Ixion?"

"The one and only," the man spoke in a deep baritone. "I'll be going to the Kedamono estate to do some research for you. If things work out well, I may know of a technique that will make it easy for you to change clothes. In the mean time, will you be alright without my company?"

"Oh, yeah," Naruto replied, grinning up to the man. "Will _you_ be alright though?"

"I know this village well enough." Ixion shrugged. "Besides, if I ever need to come back to you, all I need is to dispel this clone." He nodded and disappeared in a flash.

"Huh, who knew I could make a Kage bunshin and have one of my Aeons occupy it as its temporary body?" Naruto wondered to himself. "Maybe I could have Ixion spar with me in the future! Yeah, that would be kinda cool."

It did not take him long to reach his destination, and by that time, he had thought of several ways Ixion could help him in human form. _He could be my personal bodyguard!_ Naruto thought, chuckling to himself as he rose up the steps. Not that he needed protecting of course, but it still sounded like a wickedly cool idea.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Oh, Shouta-jiji." Naruto waved at the old man and ran towards him. "What brings you here? Are you _finally _going to ask Okami-baa-san out for dinner?" Shouta lived just a floor below, and it was rare for Naruto to see him near his apartment room.

"Naruto-kun, you should know by now that someone as young as you shouldn't meddle with the affairs of us old people," Shouta admonished. "And just to answer that question: no, I'm here to ask _you_ out for dinner. Whether you're looking for some underlying meaning there or not..." He left the last sentence hanging and beckoned for Naruto to follow them.

The village pariah made a face and followed Shouta through the crowded food street found in Toshikasa District. "Neh, Shouta-jiji, are you treating me to some ramen?" Naruto asked half-heartedly, already knowing the answer.

"Ramen again, Naruto-kun? Is that all that you think about?" Shouta grimaced. "No, don't answer that." They entered a small restaurant Shouta frequented and sat near one of the windows. "We'll be eating something a bit healthier than ramen today, Naruto-kun." The old man spoke, nodding to one of the waiters who came to give them their menus. "How are you today Kyoko-chan?"

The black-haired youth who was already serving them their tea, smiled in return. "I'm doing fine, Ojiisan." To Naruto, she said, "Eat your vegetables now, Naruto-kun, or else I'll shove them down your throat...one, by _one._" An evil energy erupted from her, making Naruto slide further down his seat, sweat trickling down his face.

"Of course, Kyoko-chan! I'll eat every one of them!" He replied and gulped, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

"Good." Kyoko bowed and left for the kitchen, the evil aura disappearing as soon as she left.

"Maa, maa, do we always have to come here?" Naruto whined, folding his arms and pouting in a very childish manner. "Kyoko-chan scares me."

"Of course," Shouta said, doing a thumbs-up. "How else can I make you eat your vegetables?" He dropped his smiling expression and regarded Naruto with grave eyes. "Naruto, what's that on your ear?"

"Oh, this?" Naruto shrugged. "Fujino-sensei brought us to one of their fuuinjutsu specialists and had our ears pierced for these earrings. She said that if we're ever in real danger and we needed help—like fast—we send some chakra to the hoop which then sends a signal to someone else who also wears a similar piece of jewellery—one that has the seals engraved on it—to call for help. Fujino-sensei opted for the earring because she says that unless we have enough chakra control, we couldn't possible try wearing other kinds of jewellery—like a ring or a necklace—because those kinds of jewellery can be found near main chakra points. She says that a normal shinobi always use chakra for those body parts, so if we ever use jewellery like that, then we might be sending false signals all the time to our fellow teammates."

"Wait, slow down a bit." Shouta scratched his stubbly cheeks, frowning pensively. "So you basically had your ear pierced for an earring which, when filled with chakra, can send signals that can call for other members of your team to help you?"

"Yep!"

"Huh, efficient and fashionable at the same time. It still surprises me, sometimes, how advanced the shinobi equipment are, nowadays."

"Fujino-sensei must be a really good kunoichi," Naruto continued, as if Shouta hadn't interrupted him in the first place. "She wears a ring on her finger instead of earrings, and she never has any problem keeping her chakra from going to the ring." He stopped to thank Kyoko who had placed their dishes in front of them, before saying, "She also said something about wearing the ring to keep her suitors at bay, though personally, I don't see what's wrong with that. It must be cool to have fangirls like she does."

"Fangirls?" Kyoko sniffed. "I used to be a fangirl once, until that bastard Fuwa left me for his manager." She scurried away, muttering about vengeance on a certain popular singer and leaving the two of them with their dinner.

"Fangirls?" Shouta asked, echoing Kyoko's question. "Don't you mean fanboys?"

"She already made it clear a long time ago with her male suitors that she wasn't interested in them," Naruto spoke offhandedly, picking up his chopsticks and munching on his yakitori.

"Oh."

"Aren'tcha going to congratulate me on passing my genin exams?" He asked, changing topics to make up for the awkward silence.

"I suppose I can congratulate you, my dear boy, but seeing as your head is already too big for your shoulders, I doubt you need the extra praise," teased Shouta, returning to his cheerful self. "Besides, that's not why I asked you to come and eat dinner with me. Remember those scrolls you gave me yesterday?"

"Yeah, the gun's awesome, by the way."

"I'll need to take that in and make some adjustments to it," Shouta said. "I only managed to do a rough copy of an actual gun, so yours still needs a lot of fixing before it can actually last long in a battle. The reason why I've warned you not to use it too much is because for now, you can only use that gun three times in an hour. If you use it anymore than that, the gun will overheat and quite possibly explode. What's more is that I'd like for you to learn how to make your own guns and do modifications on them. After all, I won't always be here, and if you travel to other places for a mission, someone will have to be able to do maintenance on your gun to keep it in good working condition, and that someone can't be me. I ain't shinobi after all, so I can't go trailing after you. And I'm certainly too old for that kind of job anyway."

Naruto's ears perked up. "Did I hear right? Are you _really_ going to teach me how to make guns?" The blonde shinobi asked excitedly. At Shouta's nod, he pumped his fist in the air and shouted, "Yatta! Thank you _so_ much, Shouta-jiji. You won't regret this."

"I sure hope not," Shouta muttered quietly to himself. Tugging at Naruto's jacket, he motioned for him to sit down again. "Let's finish this up and head home. I'm sure you'll want to use up what little free time you have left today to do your little pranks. Starting tomorrow, you'll be too busy with studying and shinobi work to even make up a trap for one of those villagers on your hit-list."

"I won't ever be too busy when it comes to paying those bastards back for what they did to me," grumbled Naruto, dark blue eyes flashing dangerously at Shouta's direction. "I'll make time for those, even if I have to. Speaking of which, Fujino-sensei has made it clear that we will be reporting outside of her office every day at five o'clock in the morning. That means that if I'll be learning those scrolls for gun-making, we'll have to them in the afternoons."

"Ah, I always did love a woman who didn't like to waste time," Shouta said, smiling dreamily. He shook his head, chuckling, "Very well, afternoons then."

* * *

_Wake up, Naruto-sama._ A gentle voice whispered in Naruto's ear.

The blonde boy opened his eyes and looked around blearily. "Hmm?" He wondered why there was no one in the room. He could have sworn he heard someone speak.

_Naruto-sama?_

Oh right. He had an Aeon now who liked to speak inside his head. "What is it, Ixion?"

_It is a quarter to five, Naruto-sama. You will be late for your first day if you don't get a move on now._

"Oh shit! You're right, Ixion," Naruto spoke hurriedly, stumbling out of his bed and grabbing the first clothes he could find. He ended up wearing what he wore yesterday, minus the belt which held his gun and the bandoliers he wore across his chest—those were with Shouta, and he wouldn't be able to get them until the next day.

Climbing out of his window, he took a moment to survey his surroundings, mapping out the quickest route to the ANBU building, Division Four. He was relieved to note that their building was close to the Toshikasa District, which meant that if he ran there now, he'd arrive on time. "Neh, Ixion?"

_What is it, Naruto-sama?_

"How come I never felt you come back last night?" Naruto asked, jumping onto another rooftop.

_I'm afraid I had gotten caught up with reading the family scrolls, Naruto-sama._ There was a hint of embarrassment in Ixion's tone as he replied. _I've never before experienced the feeling of reading from an actual scroll. Forgive me if I had worried you._

_That's not the only reason_. Naruto thought back, too busy manoeuvring in the air to answer properly. _Ever since I woke up, I've been getting...these snippets of being chased._

_Oh! Er...I, well I wanted to see for myself the kind of night life you humans lead, and things sort of got out of hand._

_But being chased by women, Ixion? What the hell were you doing? Stealing lingerie? Hell, even I wouldn't do that._

_For _your_ information, I wasn't stealing lingerie, Naruto-sama. _Ixion sounded hurt. _I happened to enter a bar, win myself a few free drinks, and the next thing I know, I'm being chased by a horde of women who wanted to erm...sleep with me?_

_Oh. Why would they want to sleep with you? You don't even have a room of your own._

_...you don't get it, do you?_

_Get what?_

_...maybe when you're older._

Naruto rolled his eyes and entered Division Four, muttering about cryptic Horse-Lords and women. He turned around a corner and walked up three flights of stairs, trying to remember where to head to next.

"Naruto! Hey, Naruto, wait up." A voice called to him from below. He turned around and waved cheerfully at Ino who was running up the stairs as fast as she could.

"Good morning, Ino-chan."

"Morning, Naruto." Ino wiped off the sweat trickling down her forehead. "Man, do we really have to wake up this early in the morning? I barely had time to apply all of my make-up, and I've been awake since four!"

"Don't worry, Ino-chan," Naruto said consolingly, falling in step with Ino who fortunately knew where they were supposed to go. "You don't need to wear make-up to be a full-fledged kunoichi."

Ino punched Naruto's arm and hissed in pain as her hand connected with the hitai-ate. "What the—frick—what the hell does that mean exactly?"

"He means that you don't need all that make-up to pretty yourself up, Ino-chan." A highly amused voice with a slight accent greeted them. "You're already pretty as you are."

Ino blushed and looked down. "Good morning, Fujino-sensei."

Naruto grinned and waved, "Yo, Sensei!"

She bowed her head in reply and motioned for them to enter her office. "Ara, ara, the sun hasn't even risen yet, and already the two of you are so energetic. I feel old just looking at the two of you. It's truly a pity Shino-kun couldn't join us so early in the morning; I'm sure he would be brimming with youthful energy as well."

Naruto harrumphed. "Yeah, right."

"Ino-chan, will you make me some tea? There's a good girl. And Naruto-kun? If you could sweep the floor? That would be lovely." Fujino sat in front of her desk. "You are both probably wondering why I chose to have you come here this early in the morning, everyday during week days."

"Damn right we are," Naruto muttered darkly, beginning to sweep through Fujino's already spotless floor.

"This is because I've signed you three up as Courier-nins. You'll be working with skilled shinobi who deliver messages and packages to various people living inside the village. Normally, they do outside the village too, but I'd like for the three of you to stay inside Konohagakure as much as possible for now. As to why I'm making you do this, the job will help you build up your chakra reserves, increase your speed, and give you access to a lot of places inside Konohagakure that are normally restricted from genin and chuunin shinobi. People _will_ be seeing you, and they'd know about your job. This is ideal for your situation because it gives you a reason to hang around in the different ANBU buildings. It will also benefit you greatly in terms of your knowledge of the layout of the village. You will find that there is more to this place than meets the eye." She turned to Naruto. "I heard you wanted to be the Hokage one day, and I applaud you for your ambitious nature. Well, one of the things the Hokage has to know is the village, because if enemy shinobi were to attack us on our turf, you will have to know the village inside out, to be able to use its resources to your advantage. Consider this a lesson." To Ino, she said, "Your chakra reserves are not up to par with our requirements. As I've said before, the job will help you build up your reserves, and that would benefit you greatly, especially if I am to teach you high-ranking genjutsu."

There was silence for a moment, and then, "Yatta! Hey, hey, did you hear that, Ino-chan? She's gonna teach us genjutsu," Naruto crowed excitedly.

Fujino coughed politely and spoke up, "Ino-chan will be learning genjutsu. You...well, I might be able to teach you some, but your chakra reserves will make it impossible for you to learn anything really complex. Don't take this the wrong way, I'm sure you'll turn out into a powerful shinobi someday, but you're just not cut out as a genjutsu user."

"Huh?"

"I've read it in your records that it's impossible for you to create a normal Bunshin, correct?"

Naruto pouted. "Hey! You don't have to rub it in."

"Well, the reason behind that is, because of your chakra reserves—which are far beyond any I've seen in such a young age, mind—it's hard for you to control your chakra and use jutsus which require fine-precision control to be able to execute successfully. It's like trying to push a fully-woven cloth inside a needle."

"Oh," Naruto's expression deflated even further, making him lean on his broom.

"If it makes you feel any better, you'll be learning a different set of jutsus from my former genin teammate, Natsuki-chan. She's from the Hunter Unit, but used to specialize on assassinations."

"The three of you will be learning to read footprints, identify false shinobi trails, and whatever else I feel necessary for you to learn." A voice spoke up, coming out of Fujino's bedroom. She wore a loose shirt and dark trousers while her hitai-ate was nowhere to be found. She moved fluidly, with the grace of a predator, blue hair flowing behind her like a river, sharp green eyes sweeping over the room with the ability of one who was trained to see everything and miss nothing. She stopped in front of Fujino-sensei's desk, sitting on top of it and crossing her legs. "For Naruto specifically, you will learn how to kill."

"Why just me though?"

The woman shrugged. "A favour from Shizuru. Personally, I don't care, as long as you don't get in the way of my work." To Fujino, she said, "Do I really have to wake up this early in the morning though? You know I'm a night creature by nature, Shizuru. Besides, you made me stay up so late last night..." she paused and blinked, "...doing your paperwork. Yeah, y-you had me do your paperwork," she added with a slight blush.

"Ara, ara. Are you embarrassed about our...relationship, Natsuki-chan?"

"Don't Natsuki-chan me," she snapped and huffed. "Damnit, it really is too early in the morning for me." Groaning, she grabbed the cup of tea Ino-chan was about to set on the table, taking a small sip. "It's just introductions today, right?"

"Yes."

"Good, I'm going back to sleep."

"Please forgive Natsuki—I mean, Kuga-sensei—for rushing off like that," Fujino spoke sombrely, after watching Kuga disappear in Fujino's bedroom. "I really did give her a hard time last night with all those...paperwork. As to why Naruto-kun was chosen to learn assassination methods on his own, I'm afraid you'll have to ask Taishou. It was his orders." She looked at the clock high up on the wall, opposite to her desk. "I believe it's almost time for us to meet your new somewhat semi-permanent clients. Naruto-kun, if you can send a clone later to wait outside the Aburame clan and lead Shino-kun to the Courier central building, that would be just great. We still have an hour and a half to spare until seven, but I'd like to give the two of you a tour of the building to get the two of you familiarized with your surroundings."

"Sure," Naruto said. "Just one question: do you guys all have sleeping quarters here?"

* * *

The rest of the morning passed by with very little happening. Their team leader—a senior Courier nin who would give them their missions and make sure they would stay on task—was currently in Grass Country, delivering a package. They instead used up the rest of the morning, fitting the three genin with Courier uniforms: a Courier's badge which allowed them free access in certain restricted areas and a dark green military jacket with matching trousers. The badge they could wear at anytime, while the uniform was only ever worn during formal occasions, or for visiting foreign countries, and that was only for show. They were also given maps to study, with markings placed on them to show which routes to take just before they were shooed off the building. Apparently, the Courier-nins were a busy lot, and they didn't need people being in their way right now.

That left them with enough time for Fujino's mock battle. A couple of minutes later, they arrived at Training Area Thirty-four—a scenic spot near a zigzagging river—the four of them silent as they placed their items among some trees nearby.

Fujino who wore a purple kimono folded the creases as best as she could and beckoned for them to attack her. "I believe we should start off with a free-style round. If I feel that you are lacking somewhere—perhaps you are using too many jutsus and not showing me enough of your taijutsu, then I will say so. Understood? In this mock battle, you must attack me with the intention to kill. Any other way and I'm afraid I will be very, very disappointed in you. Begin."

The three of them rushed towards her, weapons drawn and ready. Shino attacked from Fujino's left, and Ino from Fujino's right. Naruto would have summoned clones too, but with the two of them already engaging combat, his clones would only get in the way. Instead, he attacked from the front, focusing some of his attention to his surroundings, so as not to hit his two teammates instead. It was hard, _really_ hard, to restrain himself, and that's when he realized how poorly he had been trained for situations like this; his taijutsu style focused on defeating crowds, not individuals.

It was then that he also realized another thing. "Why the fucking hell do we have to do this on the day that I don't have my gun with me," Naruto grumbled to himself as the three of them suddenly separated, dodging one of Fujino's attacks. A naginata had materialized in her hand, and she had slammed it blade first against the ground, breaking it.

He rolled behind a tree and closed his eyes, debating on whether to fight head-on, or use stealth. An idea popped in his head, and he smiled. Well, why not? He knew this battle had nothing to do with working together. Fujino wanted to evaluate their abilities, not as a team—because they haven't actually been trained to work together—but as an individual.

He shifted his weight and felt the gun materialize against the palm of his hand. He'd rather use the one Shouta had made for him—it could shoot chakra and normal bullets as well—but unfortunately that was out of commission. This one required more chakra and could only be used for summoning. "Shiva, goddess of ice, destroyer of worlds...come forth and do battle! Diamond Dust!"

He gritted his teeth and felt the force knock him off his feet. Quickly he recovered, and saw Fujino batting the large snow crystal away as if a mere fly. "Ara, ara. Is that all you can do?"

He smiled. Maybe if he could force Fujino to move, he would find a weakness. He shot another ice beam towards Fujino and used a Doton jutsu to bring a wave of mud crashing down against her. Instead of hitting the ice ball this time, she jumped away and rolled to her side, quickly using a Katon jutsu to solidify the mud. She then raised her hands up in time to block Ino's kick, slamming the butt face down and using the momentum to kick Shino's ribs.

_They're using my attacks to their advantage._ Naruto thought, chuckling to himself. _And it also seems that Fujino-sensei can move quite well, for someone who wears a kimono._ "Neh, Sensei, are you sure you want to fight us while wearing that flimsy thing? You told us once that you should use clothing appropriately."

"Do you really think I would need to _change_ for a simple mock battle like this?" Fujino asked, unfazed by the fact that Naruto had just unleashed one of his more powerful jutsus.

_Ah, bullshit._ Naruto climbed up a tree and scratched his head, observing from afar as Ino and Shino continued to fight against Fujino. "Maa, we really need to get that naginata out of the way." He murmured to himself. He blinked and shook his head. "Yeah as if that's..." His eyes widened in realization. "Huh, maybe it will."

He took a deep breath and let the gun materialize in his hand once more. His right hand was already shaking from exhaustion and he knew he could only do three more partial summons right now. He raised his hand and aimed for Fujino. "Fire in the hole!" Ino and Shino scattered.

Another ball of ice flew towards Fujino. She tried to jump away, but a pair of hands grabbed her from underneath. Readying her naginata, she pushed the snow meteor away, and grimaced in pain. Her hands trembled and for a moment, the meteor looked like it would almost hit before it flew away, disappearing towards the sky just as quickly as the first.

"Clever," she commented, dropping the naginata and letting it fade away. Her hands appeared to be slightly burnt. "A mixture of an ice and thunder shot? And doing that Doton on me, while I wasn't looking? You're very quick with seals, Naruto-kun. Your profile speaks little of such abilities. Were you hiding these all along, or were your teachers merely too unappreciative of your skills to see what was in front of them?"

"I wouldn't know," Naruto admitted.

"When can you do those things though?" Ino inquired, breathing heavily. "I've never seen you use those kinds of jutsus before."

"They're a family jutsu I've only recently discovered."

He jumped off the tree branch and all four of them continued in their dance, with Fujino looking as if she was leading them to some unknown melody, always two steps ahead, her eyes taking careful note of each of the genin's skills. Ino was nimble on her feet, and got in twice as many hits compared to the two boys. Shino was a bit easy to read, though his had the best accuracy. Naruto, on the other hand, was true to his name as a raunchy powerhouse; his hits dealt the most damage, and Fujino took great care in dodging his attacks the most. She jumped back and signalled for them to stop for a moment. "Free-style's over, ducks," she said, giving them a lopsided smile. "Naruto-kun's already shown me some of his jutsus, but I'd very much like to see yours as well." She nodded to Ino and Shino.

The two shared a brief look. "Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Ino fell onto Naruto's arms. Silence filled the clearing for about ten seconds. "Gaaah! Don't eat me!"

"A useful technique," Fujino complimented, tilting her head in acknowledgement. "But not a good offensive one. I assume that is the strongest in your arsenal? You don't have to be shy. I assure you, I am not being judgemental here. I just need to know what you children need to learn."

The blonde kunoichi gave a weak nod and rose unsteadily to her feet. "T-that was a very...unnerving way to kick me out of your mind, Sensei."

"Yes, well I've been known to...unnerve people a lot." She pivoted and did a roundhouse kick against Shino who burst into a spray of insects. "Family jutsus from the three of you. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. Clans nowadays prefer to have their children learn only their art. We'll soon fix that with common jutsus which the three of you can study in your free time. I believe Taishou left those Katon scrolls for you in my office. I'll be sure to have you three study them as soon as possible." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and moved back into a fighting stance. "Now that you've shown me your jutsus, why don't I show you one of mine?"

* * *

OMAKE: Paperwork

Ibiki slammed the office door shut and proceeded down the hallway, his face scrunched up in bemusement. TAI members found themselves shrinking against the wall as they watched him stomp towards Fujino's office, muttering darkly about something.

"Taishou, where are you going?" One of his underlings asked. He was just outside Fujino's office, sweeping rather innocently.

"I need to speak to Fujino right now. Get out of my way."

"Aah, I'm afraid I cannot let you in right now," the young man spoke hesitantly. "She's really, really busy."

"My news can't wait," Ibiki growly irritably. "I'm sure she'll have time enough to hear it." He took a step forward to grab the handle, but the man grabbed his wrist and shook his head, blushing really hard.

"S-she's doing paperwork, sir," the man stuttered, while his hands showed Ibiki all-too-familiar gestures.

"So paperwork's the new code word nowadays, eh?" Ibiki asked wearily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Tell them they have five minutes to make themselves presentable."

"But, Taishou!"

Ibiki's Death-glare did little to calm the man's nerves. "You do as I say."

"Can we at least send a kunoichi this time? She _never_ punishes our kunoichi!"

The words fell on deaf ears.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Disclaimer: I don't own Fujino, Kuga, Akihiko, Shinjiro and Kyoko. They're all owned by their respective owners: Sunrise, Atlus and Yoshiki Nakamura. Tell me if I miss anyone.

Toshikasa means senior or elderly.

About summoning: Right now, Naruto can only do partial summons. He can summon the Aeon's power and use it as an elemental shot, but it will be very much different from actual summoning. That will come later on once he has earned their trust, or if they feel that he needs the help. I can't very well have him summoning for about every single fight. It would be far too destructive.

Any other questions you might have, please just ask. I know there were a lot of iffy things—I really suck at explanations—so just ask away. I'll try to answer them as best as I can. Reviews in general are also welcome. If anyone can send me a Naruto fanfic recommendation (or even a manga or anime that sounds interesting), PM me or give me a review with the name and the author. They're my sources of inspiration. Plus, I get my OCs from other anime and manga. LOL.

Updates will be notified on my bio. As usual.


	4. A Lesson in History

Chapter Four – A Lesson in History

"_Now that you've shown me your jutsus, why don't I show you one of mine?"_

"That's it?" he asked good-humorously, raising an eyebrow in mock amusement, after a moment of silence.

As if on cue, his surroundings darkened visibly; the reds and grays, and blacks became more prominent against the green grass which dulled and faded. Clouds rolled and thundered along the horizon, blocking out the sun. The birdsong ended. The wind caressed his cheeks and grew stronger, until he could hear it howling in his ears and feel it slapping against his face.

_Naruto-sama._

He did a whole three hundred sixty turn and found, to his dismay, that his teammates were gone. The grip on his kunai tightened. Where had they gone? Where had Fujino gone for that matter as well?

_Naruto-sama._

Darkness crawled towards him, making him take a step back. Normally, he wasn't intimidated so easily by his opponents, but this opponent was both faceless and formless. How the hell would he defeat this thing?

_Naruto-sama!_

The blob continued to lurch forward, gathering strength with each step. It grew larger, and larger, until it surpassed Naruto's height and stood over him, towering him. Naruto sent his kunai flying, but it simply passed the cloud of darkness, as if it was an illusion.

_Damnit, Naruto, wake up!_

For a moment, he saw black, and felt his head begin to ache rather ferociously. "Fuck!" He growled. His hand immediately reached for his forehead while his eyes surveyed his surroundings which had changed in the blink of an eye. White and blue overwhelmed his vision, and it took him some time to grow accustomed to the harsh light streaming from his teammates, his teacher, and the plant life which enclosed them. "The hell?"

_What you're seeing right now is chakra, Naruto-sama. Chakra, not only from those people, but also from Nature itself._

_Does it always hurt this much?_ Naruto thought, blinking back tears.

_Not really. If you could moderate the amount of chakra you're putting on your eyes right now, I'm sure the brightness of the chakra you're seeing would lessen to a degree which your eyes can handle._

_Okay then, I guess I'll try that._ Naruto focused on the chakra on his eyes and started taking some of the chakra away. _How did you know, though? That I could see through the genjutsu this way?_

_I didn't. I just hoped._

Naruto removed the rest of the chakra which lingered in his eyes, and felt something...different. It was as if something was being blocked inside him. An explosion of pain suddenly erupted from inside his chest, making him gasp for air. He fell to his knees, and the last thing he saw before his eyes fluttered shut, was his teammates running towards him, looking awfully concerned.

* * *

"Where...am I?" Naruto wondered, fixing his gaze towards a large metallic dome in the middle of a forest. He took a step forward, and then another, pausing to glance to his right and left. The forest was a tightly-knit one; he could barely see beyond the trees which were clumped together like a group of gossiping washerwomen on a sunny day.

"And so we finally meet on my turf, Naruto-sama," a most familiar voice interrupted his troubled thoughts.

"Ixion?" Naruto regarded the man with wary eyes, before beckoning to his surroundings. "Where the hell are we, Ixion? Is this another genjutsu?"

"We are in your mindscape, Naruto-sama," Ixion explained patiently. "Normally, you can only access this place through meditation, but I believe that because you still hadn't cut off _completely_ your connection to me when you fainted, your subconscious inexplicably brought you here."

"And when were you going to tell me about this place, if I hadn't gotten here sooner?"

"When I believed the time was right, Naruto-sama," said Ixion, seemingly unfazed by Naruto's penetrating glare. "Your mindscape is where you can converse with all of your Aeons at the same time without straining your mind, and where you can learn how to do jutsus from us. Okay, so that doesn't really explain a lot. I suppose it's time I straighten up some things." He walked towards a bench just outside the dome and sat on it, patting on the space on his left. Naruto sat down as well and raised an eyebrow, signalling him to continue. "Now I know you've gotten accustomed to talking to me in your head, and frankly, I'm a bit surprised you haven't asked me how that was possible."

"Well, with so much going on, that was the least of my problems," argued Naruto.

"I know, I know. Thing is, being able to talk to me in your head....it's a lot more complicated than you think. You see, one of the requirements of summoning, is to establish a Mind Link between the summoner and the Aeon. Seeing as I was your first summon, I took it upon myself to establish that Mind Link between us. I knew you would be a good master, and I knew that you needed my help to become a worthy successor to the Kedamono name, and so I created a connection between us. Another requirement is Junctioning. Now, I _may_ be able to talk to you through the Mind Link we share, but it's very different from having me junctioned to you. If I was junctioned to you, not only can we talk to each other mentally, but you would also gain an attribute of mine, because junctioning to you would mean entrusting a part of my power to you. For example, I specialize in lightning attacks so, if I'm junctioned to you, then you will have an affinity with lightning jutsus and if someone hits you with a jutsu of that element, you can absorb it instead of taking damage."

"That would be awesome," Naruto spoke slowly, awe written all over his face. "So...is there anything I need to do, for me to be able to junction you?"

Ixion raised a large scarred hand and uncurled his index and middle finger. "Two things, Naruto-sama: first of all, you must know everything there is to know about me, and secondly, you must have _my_ consent. The same goes for other Aeons, though they tend to require something before they would agree to junctioning with you. Summoning is all about the trust, and for you to be able to summon any of us, you will have to earn our trust, just as you plan to earn the trust of the villagers."

"So...wait. Why would I need to know about you, and what exactly happens during a summoning? Coz you know, I thought that what I had been doing in the past with that gun I use...I thought that was what summoning was about."

"You need to know about me so that you can utilize my power to your utmost advantage. It's sort of a safety precaution too, because being junctioned to you, I am also inadvertently giving you some of my weaknesses. This might become a disadvantage for you during certain fights. As for your second question, you haven't actually summoned us, Naruto-sama. When you summon us, you'll be bringing our entire selves into the physical plane. What you did was simply tap into our power, and draw out a bit of it. If you really want to do massive damage against your opponents, you'll want to summon us the proper way, and that means doing these three requirements."

"Three requirements?" The young shinobi asked incredulously. "I thought there were only two of them."

"The third requirement is for you to..." Ixion paused and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I think maybe I'll show you how the last requirement is done."

The two of them walked inside the humongous dome and into a maze of hallways which Ixion seemed to know quite well. Thankfully, Naruto had learned to memorize his surroundings fairly quick from those memory exercises he learned at the academy, which made it possible for him to create a mental map. After the sixth left turn, they finally arrived at a double-door entrance. Ixion pressed his hand against the metallic frame, and the doors slid towards their respective sides, allowing the two of them access within.

"Where is here?" Naruto inquired for the umpteenth time that day, looking at the room with growing interest. It was completely bare and devoid of any colour which made Naruto wonder if they had gone to the right place.

"This is called the Memory Room. Here, we can access the memories of the original ancestors of the Kedamono clan."

"Hey, Ixion, I've been wondering about that," Naruto spoke, frowning. "If I received their bloodline, does that mean I'm a Kedamono too?"

"Technically, you are a Kedamono, but since the clan has long since died out, and you've been given a clan symbol of your own—one that is very different from the original clan's—I think it's safe to say that the Uzumaki name now owns the Kedamono bloodline."

"So I won't be called Kedamono Naruto anytime soon?" he asked hopefully. "Because Kedamono really doesn't suit me."

"You may keep the Uzumaki name, Naruto-sama," answered Ixion patiently. To the room, he announced a date, a time, and a name before folding his arms as if to say that he was waiting for something.

The room shifted and changed, making Naruto jump. They were in a different room now; a shabbier-looking one with a low ceiling and candles lined up in a row, burning rather brightly. There was also smoke in the room, though Naruto found it odd that his nose wasn't reacting to it.

In the middle of the room stood two other people—a bald man wearing nothing but a loincloth and a woman carrying an earthen bowl and a brush. She was painting something on the man's back, and after a moment's hesitation, Naruto stepped forward to take a closer look at what she was painting. What he saw made him gasp, and he turned immediately to Ixion for an explanation.

"Before you can summon one of us, you will have to create a contract with us via your body. As you can see there, the woman is painting the picture of an Aeon onto the man's back. It's very much like tattoos, except that after the ceremony, the image fades into the skin until the man decides to summon that particular Aeon, in which case it reappears. For the ceremony itself, the summoner must go into a trance-like state with his Aeon. In that one moment, they will share one body and mind. You needn't worry about how that is done exactly because the first Aeon who will agree to become your summon usually leads you through the process step by step. We do it this way because the members of the Kedamono clan have always been very hands-on people; they don't waste their time talking about theory."

"You mean, I'd need to have someone paint the picture of the Aeon on my back? But how can I...a Kage Bunshin!" Naruto grinned and tugged Ixion's shirt excitedly. "I can have one of my clones paint the image for me. That _is_ possible, right?"

"Yes, except you forgot one thing: whoever paints the Aeon's image on your back must be a damn good painter." Ixion reminded him. "You can be many things, Naruto-sama, but a painter? You'd have to be the luckiest man on Earth to have the kind of natural talent that would allow you to learn how to replicate images at a very fast rate. And even then, you would need a competent teacher."

In the Heavens above, a certain Lady of Luck burst into laughter. _Oh, you have no idea._

"Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there," Naruto spoke offhandedly. "For now, I'm more worried about getting step number two done. Just one last question, Ixion. The paints used...are they mixed with something?"

"Just a drop of your blood will do."

"Good," Naruto beamed at Ixion. "So, you said I can learn jutsus here?"

* * *

Shizuru ducked under the window and slipped inside her office, quickly removing the kimono she wore.

"Back already, Shizuru?" Natsuki asked, studying the reports which were laid out on Shizuru's desk. Her eyes flickered for a moment to meet Shizuru's gaze, smiling in amusement. "Another ruined kimono? And here I thought I was hard on my clothes."

Shizuru merely shrugged and walked inside the bedroom they shared, quickly changing into a pair of loose trousers and an undershirt. "We had to cut the mock battle short. Naruto did not take to my genjutsu well. I did a double-layered one: a visual genjutsu and a body genjutsu, making it impossible for them to expel chakra from their bodies to cancel it. Naruto kept trying to force the chakra out of his body anyway, causing blockage on his coils. He'll wake up soon enough. He just needs some rest."

"Did you bring him to the hospital?" Natsuki leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow in question. "By the way, you're wearing my shirt again."

"It fits me better." Shizuru said with an innocent smile. "And anyway, he doesn't like hospitals. Like a certain someone I know," she teased.

Natsuki made a face and beckoned for Shizuru to follow her. "I hate hospitals because they always ask too many questions afterwards."

"Not shinobi hospitals," quipped Shizuru.

"I've read the latest reports about our Kumogakure _friends._" Natsuki growled, ignoring Shizuru's words. "They're harbouring two Jinchuuriki. Did you know that? I can smell a war brewing in the horizon. I really doubt it's a good idea to hold the next Chuunin exams here. Not at this time."

"Must you always point the blame to them? I may not like them for what they did to you during the Third Great Shinobi War, but they've behaved as far as I'm concerned. I've killed enough of their people, and that's compensation enough for me. As for those two Jinchuuriki, they're one of Kumogakure's worst kept secrets ever. I'm surprised you only found out about them now. If we should be investigating anyone, I say we investigate Sunagakure. I heard they're planning to send their young Jinchuuriki here next month for the exams. They'll be dealing the most damage, if they suddenly decide to attack us."

Natsuki crossed her arms and frowned. "I'm sorry. I guess you're right."

"Ara, ara. Who would have thought Natsuki-chan had it in her to say those two magic words, ice queen that she is?" Shizuru's smiled dropped as she sat stiffly on her leather armchair. "I know you've always shown an interest in the Kedamono clan, Natsuki. Can you tell me anything about them?"

"Why the sudden interest?"

"Because one of my students might just be a part of that clan, even though it's been gone for about fifty years now?" Shizuru rubbed the bridge of her nose and accepted the cup of tea Natsuki gave her. "He even has one of those guns you've always wanted to use."

"Really now? Well, you should go ask him if he is, once he's awake."

"I plan to, but right now, I'm interested in learning about the Kedamono's history. If he _is_ indeed a new successor of that clan, then I want to be prepared and give the proper training he deserves."

"I suppose I should begin with one of their more...well-known myths. A hundred years ago, a great evil was born. It was formed from the greediness of men who coveted and conspired against each other, and it thrived in the darkness of their hearts. This evil was known as Sin. Now, Sin was a very powerful fiend that ravaged through the land, bringing chaos and misery in its wake. The gods from above saw this threat and decided to do something about it. That was when they decided to appoint heroes who would do battle for them, the Liberi Fatali, the Children of Fate. They knew that no weapon or jutsu could defeat this terrifying beast, so they did the only thing that they _could_ do: they offered their powers to the chosen ones. Time passed, and the Final Battle approached. They attacked with much fervour, every one of them putting their life on the line. Of the ten who attacked that day, only three survived. They were the youngest of the group and the ones who bore the smallest amount of power. The seven who died found that they could no longer move on to the Farplane where the souls were to be kept until Judgement day. They say that those seven souls were too heavy from the power entrusted to them by the gods, and could not fly high enough to reach the eternal skies. Instead, they were bound in a different dimension, known as the Void, where they would spend the rest of their days in silent contemplation. The three remaining Liberi Fatali knew this was unfair and decided to create a contract with those seven spirits. The contract would allow them the ability to roam the lands once more, and become its guardians for all of time."

"Hence the name Aeons," interrupted Shizuru. "After a while, they also acquired other contracts, from minor gods to heroes who were greatly revered during their time. How about the branches? Weren't there three of them?"

"Yes, the Kedamono clan was divided into three groups: the Warrior clan, the White Mage clan, and the Gunner clan. These three were created by the original Liberi Fatali—the remaining three who had managed to live on. Kaien Garamonde, the oldest, led the Warrior clan; Poromu, the youngest, led the White Mage clan; and finally, Avain Kiniasu, led the Gunner clan. The three clans prospered together and lived in relative peace for several decades. They were a humble people and rarely made fights with other clans, insisting early on that they had no interest in wars. However, other clans grew jealous of their power, and it did not take long before fights broke out. One man saw them as a threat to the people and had amassed an army to drive them out and kill them. It only took him two years, and he would have failed too, if it were not for the fact that the Kedamono clan refused to fight against them." Natsuki's eyes narrowed and she gripped the edge of the table she was leaning against a bit too tightly. "If Naruto really is their successor, then that means he'll be constantly in danger from the other power-hungry clans."

"You know as well as I that even without that, he's already in danger. He _is_ the Kyuubi's container after all."

Natsuki nodded. "Well? What happens now? What should we do?"

"I'll talk to him; maybe warn him about showing off to other people. He was carrying his gun all day the other day, but I guess I didn't make the connection then. He'll have to keep his gun hidden, I suppose." Shizuru refilled her cup with tea and asked, "How many do you think still remember the Kedamono clan?"

"Not a lot of people I think. If anyone still remembered them, I would say that it would be the old ones. Didn't Naruto live in the Toshikasa district? His neighbours would know."

"They seem to be rather fond of him, so if any one of them were to know, they would choose to help him, rather than subjugate him or drive him out." Ruby red eyes flickered to inspect the cup's rim. "I'll talk to him once I find the time. For now, I'll let him rest."

* * *

"Oh man, oh man!" Naruto pumped his fists in the air. "I think I'm in heaven."

"I find it hard to believe that I'm hearing this from you right now," remarked Ixion, an expression of bemusement across his face. They were standing inside the Archives where the different Kedamono jutsus were housed and Naruto was currently doing a victory dance at his little find.

"Neh, Ixion, do you know how this is all possible?" Naruto inquired, looking up at the Aeon. "I mean, I've never heard of anyone having their own library in their mindscape."

"The Kedamono clan was being hunted down by various people, a couple of years back. They knew that their time was almost up and decided to do a set of jutsus, burying their knowledge deep within the recess of the human mind as a security measure. Of course, as you already know, there are still some Kedamono scrolls lying about in their manor—only a member of the clan would be allowed to step inside the place anyway—but the information there isn't sufficient for anyone who plans to mimic the clan's abilities."

"Any information about the different Aeons here, Ixion?" Naruto scratched his chin and looked thoughtful. "If there was, not only would I be able to get to know you guys for Junctioning, I would also get some clues to the whereabouts of the other Aeons."

"That's a good point, Naruto-chan," an effeminate voice interrupted the two, making them turn around. A well-endowed woman with vibrant blue hair and a matching set of eyes smiled at them, thin lips perking up ever so slightly. "And yes, there are scrolls here detailing about our once mortal lives and the abilities which we possess. I can lead them to you sometime, but for now, I prefer idle conversation. I hope you're not in a hurry to learn all this?"

"Not at all," Naruto spoke confidently, matching Shiva's smile with one of his own. "You look even prettier when you're not in paper."

"Thank you for the compliment, Naruto-chan. I appreciate it." She offered him her hand and slipped it underneath his elbow, holding it tightly. "Come, let us go to the sitting room. I'm sure you would like to meet Cerberus as well."

Naruto was shown into a wide room with several comfy-looking couches, a bookcase in the corner, and a glass coffee table in the middle. It was very unlike any place Naruto had seen before, and he suspected that some of the furniture was foreign. "Yo, dude, what kept ya?"

Cerberus was shorter by a few inches compared to Ixion, and had long raven black hair tied in a ponytail. Like Ixion, he had a very solid build though wore a pair of manacles around his wrists and didn't have as many scars around his body. Whether that was for show or something else entirely, Naruto didn't know. Upon closer inspection, Naruto also noticed one disconcerting thing about this man: he appeared to have heterochromia—he had a single red eye and a single golden eye—making it hard for Naruto to stop staring at him. "Not answering, eh? Too scared to speak, brat?"

"Show some respect, Cerberus," admonished Ixion, frowning at Cerberus's behaviour. "He is our master now."

"So what if he is? Until he proves to me that he's worthy to be our master, I ain't catering to his needs. I have my pride, yo!"

"You want me to prove myself to you?" Naruto growled, glaring at Cerberus. "Fine then. Name your price."

"You've got guts, kid," Cerberus crowed. "Sure, I'll give you a test. If you can make anyone piss his pants in the next twenty-four hours, you can establish a Mind Link with me. If you can summon one of us by the end of the week, I'll even agree to Junctioning with you. What'd you say?"

"I accept, dattebayo!" Cerberus spat on his hand and offered it to Naruto. To the disgust of Ixion and Shiva, the boy spat on his own hand and immediately grabbed Cerberus's, shaking it profusely.

"I'm so glad we can do just about anything in Naruto-chan's mindscape," murmured Shiva, producing two handkerchiefs out of nowhere, and handing one to Naruto and the other to Cerberus.

"What about you, Shiva-san?" Naruto asked, wiping the spit off his hands and throwing the handkerchief over his shoulder, only to have it disappear in mid-air, thanks to the Encephalon's Magical Recycling Bin of Doom. "What do I have to do be able to establish the Mind Link with you?"

"You need only to ask, Naruto-chan."

Naruto pleasantly woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the distance. They had talked for a little longer, discussing the method in which Naruto could enter his mindscape not only through meditation, but also when he was about to fall asleep. They reasoned that if he were to train there as well, his best bet would be during the night so that it wouldn't conflict with his other training. Ixion also finally talked about the dress scrolls, much to the delight of Naruto. His only real problem was learning to create mannequins that matched his build, but other than that, it was a doable project, and Naruto looked forward to it.

In that time, he also discovered something very useful about having Ixion control one of his clones. Normally, he would only use one or two clones if he ever wished to research something. It just wasn't worth it to have so many clones study at the same, especially since he couldn't quite digest all that information at once. It was like trying to shove the whole container of milk down your throat, rather than just drinking small amounts of it. With Ixion, things were different.

For one thing, when the clone initially dispersed, Naruto would remember only snippets of its memories. It was only during Ixion's explanations that the information would trickle back in, as if Ixion was simply helping Naruto remember some details he had forgotten. This way, Naruto could understand all that information without feeling as if his mind was about to explode.

"And I can use Shiva and Cerberus too, once I get that old grump to join," he murmured under his breath, a silly grin on his face. He moved to a standing position and looked around, seeing both Ino and Shino some metres away, doing the water-walking exercise. After further examining his surroundings, he found footprints on some of the trees. This suggested that they had already completed the tree-walking exercise, something that had taken Naruto three days to complete. He was rather impressed that they had managed to do it in less than a day. Then again, they didn't really have the huge amount chakra he possessed, and he was really young then when he first did those exercises.

About to go to them and congratulate them on their progress—and maybe laugh at Ino who was soaking wet from head to toe or at Shino who actually looked disgruntled for once—Naruto's ears twitched and he turned around, straining his ears. He knew he heard something beyond the trees to his left, so he decided to investigate, his hands slowly doing the seals for a concealment jutsu. He raised his eyebrows at what he saw, and he bared his teeth, a low guttural growl rumbling from his chest. "Hey, teme, what the fuck do you think you're making him do, eh?"

Sasuke and Sakura were lounging underneath a large broad tree, both looking amused at some private joke—a private joke which involved Chouji having to run across the clearing, dragging a thick piece of log behind him. It was an arm's length in terms of thickness, and looked awfully heavy from the fatigued expression on Chouji's face.

"He's training, baka. What do you think?" Sakura scoffed.

"I think, you two are being total jerks here," Naruto spoke. He sent some chakra to the silver hoop on his ear, signalling for his teammates to follow him. Flexing his hand, he prepared to summon his gun again. He was still drained from their fight earlier, but he did get some rest, and there was enough chakra to do two more Overdrive shots at them. He raised his hand and pointed the gun directly in the middle of Sasuke's eyes. "And I'm going to fucking blow your head off if you don't stop torturing Chouji. I look out for my friends, and if any of them are threatened, heads will start rolling. Or in this case, blown up."

"Right, like you can do something like that. You may not be as bad as that dobe over there, but you're way under my league," Sasuke spoke, clearly unfazed by Naruto's threat. "And shouldn't you be threatening Sakura right now? I wasn't the one calling you a baka."

Naruto froze and cursed at himself mentally. Sasuke was right, that damn bastard. He knew he used to like Sakura—note the words used to—but he still didn't harbour enough hatred against the girl to try killing her. "You're clearly the mastermind behind all this. Sakura might be a complete bitch sometimes, but she would never think of something as heartless as this."

"For once, Naruto's actually right," Ino quipped wryly. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun, but Sakura-teme doesn't really have the kind of guts to make Chouji run like this. She might make fun of him verbally, but that's all she's really capable of doing. Also, Chouji can pretty much kick her ass in terms of taijutsu. I don't think she can threaten him into training. Not like you can."

"Caught in the act I suppose," Sasuke said lightly. His black eyes met Naruto's clear blue ones. "So, what're you going to do now? Kill me?"

_Naruto-sama, you're not really thinking of killing the boy, are you? _Ixion asked worriedly.

_Shut up, Ix. _Cerberus quipped, glee evident in his voice. _Don't you know? A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do._

_And that means scaring the crap outta arrogant bastards like him! _Naruto pointed at a nearby tree to his right and pulled the trigger, slamming all of his anger into the gun. He didn't speak a word out loud—too busy trying to squash down the emotions clogging against his chest. Thunder roared from the barrel, slamming against the tree head on. It burst into flame, but Naruto wasn't paying attention to it. He was more interested in the fetid smell coming from Sasuke.

_Well done, brat. Maybe there's hope for you yet._ Cerberus sounded pleased.

_I live to entertain, Cerberus._ Naruto thought smugly. "So, you still want me to kill you, or do you promise not to be naughty anymore?"

"Fuck off," Sasuke said and hurriedly walked away. Sakura, who appeared to understand the situation, followed after him, her face a bright red colour.

"You didn't need our help," Shino said, though he did not sound irritated.

"I was hoping I could ask you guys to look after Chouji for me," Naruto answered back, helping Chouji untie the rope around his waist. "You okay, Chouji?"

"I could have taken them on my own," Chouji murmured darkly and sighed. "Okay, so maybe not, but they were right, you know? I really was holding them back."

"They're not right, Chouji," admonished Ino, patting Chouji's shoulder a bit awkwardly. "Yeah, so what if you can't keep up with them? They should be helping you to become better, not making fun of you like-like an animal."

"Yeah. Speaking of training, if you need help, you should go to us instead," offered Naruto. "We don't bite, and at least we're actually _learning_ something. We don't spend our free time tormenting others. Unless we have to, that is."

"Naruto," Shino spoke warningly. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Hey, it's not like we're going to tell him _everything_, Shino. He doesn't have to know about the _other _stuff. He can just hang out with us, and we can help him with some basic exercises—like that water-walking which, I must say, the two of you are doing quite well. It took me a while to perfect those exercises."

"You've already done them?" Ino asked, surprised.

"Okami-baa-san always did say I had awful control. Tree-walking, paper-walking, water-walking...I had to learn all of those if I wanted to keep up with the rest of you guys." Naruto shrugged. "It's real easy actually, once you get the hang of it. Come on, Chouji, I'll get you started with tree-walking. Then we do water-walking. See, the secret, has something to do with imagery."

* * *

Naruto whistled as he walked towards his apartment complex, feeling satisfied at a job well done. He had just finished creating an intricate trap outside one of the pubs near the Academy—one that was frequented by several of his past tormentors—and Nezumi, one of his clones who had been looking for an art instructor, had seen the tail-end of it.

Suffice to say, several men that night would be crying home to their mothers. They didn't quite piss their pants as was the original plan, but they won't be walking normal for some time in the next few days. Being bitten by a pack of crazed dogs down there in the unmentionables tends to do that to a person.

As to how Naruto managed to pull that off...let's just say it involved cloth balls soaked in meat juice, a contraption modelled after Naruto's gun, and a great deal of timing.

_You know, kid, you and me, we gotta make these plans sometime. I want to contribute to the chaos you're causing. _Cerberus said all too cheerfully in Naruto's mind.

Naruto's only reply was to send Cerberus some more of his brilliant ideas.

Humming to himself, Naruto ran up the steps, taking two at a time, and was about to head to his room when a most familiar face greeted his sight. "Hash!" He ran towards the small, thin, aging man, slamming against him with so much force, one would think the older of the two would keel over in pain. "It's so nice to see you again, Ooyasan! How've you been?"

"I'm doing fine, Naruto-kun." He smiled toothily. "And you? How are you?"

_Hash...?_

"Oh, I have lots to tell you, Ooyasan!" Naruto tugged at his hand. "Come on and have tea with me inside." He dragged the elderly man towards his room.

_Is that...Hashmal? _Cerberus asked.

_Yeah, you know him? _Naruto answered back, ushering his landlord inside the kitchen.

_I need a Kage Bunshin, brat. _Cerberus said urgently. _Right now._

With a shrug, Naruto summoned two clones, one for Cerberus to occupy, and the other to make tea. "I just got my hitai-ate, Ooyasan. Can you believe it? I actually passed! I mean, I knew I'd pass, but still! Aren't you happy for me, Ooyasan?" He leaned forward to take a better look at Hashmal's face and saw the man's deathly pale expression full of shock.

"What are you doing here?" Hashmal demanded.

"I think I should be asking _you_ that question," Cerberus spoke flatly, his hands balling into ham-sized fists. "You left us, you bastard. You left us just before the other shinobis annihilated the Kedamono clan, and now, you're here trying to make favours with the new clan head?"

"New clan head...?" His gaze flickered towards Naruto. Finding his voice, he turned his hardened eyes towards Cerberus who was frowning at him. "I left for a good reason, Cerberus. It's not what you think."

"Oh really? Enlighten me then. Tell me what really happened that day."

"Poromu-sama knew that it would be futile for them to fight against the other clans. They had grown used to peace, and the idea of killing other humans was a foreign idea to them. Not only that, but they weren't prepared to counter the other clans' Kekkai genkais."

"I know that already!" Cerberus snapped impatiently. "But some still chose to fight, remember? You on the other hand, turned tail and fled."

"Poromu-sama gave me a special mission," Hashmal spoke levelly. "She asked me to look after the Kedamono estate in her absence. She also asked me to make preparations for the new clan head, from planting the Scroll of Summoners in the Hokage's storage room, to making sure that he or she gets the best possible education."

"Really now? So how come you've only appeared now to offer the brat assistance? You're a little late on the news, you know."

"I was busy overseeing the Kedamono's lands. And anyway, how was I to know that Naruto here would be chosen? I was never given a clue as to who would inherit the clan's powers! Poromu-sama simply told me that whoever would succeed would be very close to one of the Hokages."

"Whoa there!" Naruto said, shocked at Cerberus's touchy attitude and at Hashmal's words. "Slow down, you two. Can we start from the start? Coz I'm feeling kinda lost here."

"He's an Aeon too, just like us." Cerberus spoke. "This guy here, is Hashmal, Bringer of Order—the Esper of Earth."

* * *

A/N: S'okay, not only does FFN keep me from posting this yesterday, it also screws my formatting. Ah, hell.

Questions, comments, and one-word exclamations of joy are all welcome.

Speaking of questions, I have a few of my own. Who do you think should be Naruto's art instructor? I'm leaning heavily on Sai, though Tenten is also an option. I can also use Yakumo (from the filler eps). Any opinions about this would be greatly appreciated.

Also, a round of applause to anyone who can name the remaining three Liberi Fatali, and which Final Fantasy they came from.

Cerberus's description is based on Nora from the manga Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom created by Kazunari Kakei. So I don't own it, yo?

Oh, and I have an early warning for any Naruto/Hinata shippers out there: I'm not going to do a Naru/Hina pairing for this fic. I mean, I have nothing against their pairing and all...it's just, I need her to fill a different role for me. That's all I can say for now.

Word of the Day: Ooyasan – landlord


	5. Parasite Meet Host

Chapter Five – Parasite Meet Host

The eyes of a killer stared back at him. Red eyes. The colour of blood. He tore his gaze away and sat on the floor with a light thump, bringing the book he was reading closer to his face. The books he carried with his other hand was placed on the floor besides him.

"Won't you let me eat some more, boy?" The kitsune growled from behind thick metal bars, sending wavelengths of killer intent to disconcert him.

"No," he wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut, knowing that answering the kitsune's question would only encourage it. How much longer do I have to stay here? He wondered instead, though he knew the answer to that question fairly well by now.

He went back to reading.

"I don't see why you can't feed me the whole thing right away," the kitsune whined, its nine tails lashing out in impatience. "And I'm not stupid. I won't bite a hand that feeds."

His glaze flickered to the beast whimpering a few metres away from him. It was perhaps the strangest entity he had ever seen—a formless, semi-transparent creature whose features were barely discernable in the weak light. Its skin had a dark sheen and the fist-sized red which pulsated in the middle of its body could only be its heart. He felt slightly sorry for it, but he knew that he couldn't let the creature live. It was hard enough looking after one monster inside him. He couldn't possibly handle two.

He tried to focus on the book he was reading but eventually, his thoughts drifted back to the real world, and to Yakumo who had been harbouring that pitiful creature for years. He didn't quite understand how he managed to do what he did. He was just talking to Yakumo, trying to get to know her, maybe convince her to teach him how to paint, when he saw a shadow towering over her. It was, he thought, probably the chakra lingering in his eyes that allowed him to see Ido—the creature which was now at his mercy. Putting more chakra into his eyes, he had seen Yakumo with a monster's distorted face, horns protruding at either side of her head. He panicked at the sight of this beast and grabbed its horns with hands that were filled with chakra, intending to yank the demon away from Yakumo and fight it. Instead, what he saw next was the chamber of the Kyuubi, a room he had discovered while exploring the world inside his head.

It didn't take a genius like Shikamaru to find out what had happened to him. Apparently, Ido was a demon of the parasitic kind, living on a host, much as the Kyuubi lived within Naruto. Because Ido was not as powerful as the Kyuubi was, Naruto was able to break free its hold on Yakumo, and with the Kyuubi's chakra guiding him unconsciously, he was able to bring Ido inside his own body where the Kyuubi proceeded to make a meal out of the beast.

A few pages later, he stood up and tore a chunk out of Ido, throwing the piece of demonic meat towards the kitsune. It caught the piece with one of its tails and ate it in two quick bites before imploring Naruto for a little more. This time, Naruto complied, feeding him a few more pieces before he went back to reading. In the back of his mind, he wondered, not for the first time that day—and certainly not the last—how much longer do I have to stay here?

* * *

"How is the boy?"

Yakumo looked up and met Hashmal's eyes. "His breathing is normal, and he has stopped sweating now," she murmured, turning her attention back to Naruto who was sleeping soundlessly on the hard cot that was his bed. She took the wet towel from its basin and went back to wiping his face, cooling it. "If he remains like this, he will be able to wake up soon."

Hashmal nodded. "Thank you, Yakumo-san, for looking after the master for us. If you need anything, please tell me." He bowed and stepped outside the room, closing the door lightly. His eyes fell on the three other occupants who sat around a small round table.

"The boy's going to be alright, I assume?" Shiva asked, resting her chin on top of her palm.

"He better be, yarro!" Cerberus growled. "That bozu still has a promise with me, and he better man up and deliver, elsewise, no way in hell am I Junctioning with him!"

"You're still thinking about that bet?" Ixion growled, icy blue eyes boring holes at Cerberus's head. "Right now, you should be more worried about Naruto's health!"

"He's not coughing blood or hyperventilating, right? That's as good as healthy to me," Cerberus retorted.

"He's just a child. You, on the other hand, are an over-grown immature brat who still needs disciplining," Ixion snapped.

"Well I don't answer to you, old man!"

A knock on the door kept Ixion from formulating a scathing reply. With a few nudges from Shiva, who was the closest to him, Hashmal eventually gave in to the pressure and walked towards the door. Since he was the one who had the most experience living among humans, it was only logical that he answer the door.

"Yes?" Hashmal inquired lightly upon opening the door. A young, blonde woman stood before him, squirming under his stare.

"Is Naruto here?"

"Yes," Hashmal answered automatically. "Well, actually no. Maybe. Does being here in body but not in mind count as a yes?"

* * *

A/N: _Short_ chapter. Why? Because I posted this to inform you that in the last few months I have been working on a rewrite of the Summoner's Craft. Suffice to say, I've finally posted it under the name "The Summoner's Craft: the Butterfly Effect". It's four chapters long already, so hopefully, you won't be too mad at me for rewriting the whole fic. Sorry?

To those who want a detailed reason why I chose to rewrite the whole fanfic, you can go to my wordpress and read the reasoning there (first entry). I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience. For those who think this is the superior fic, you may either write me a very convincing review comparing this to the rewrite, or you can pick up where I left and continue this story yourself. I don't mind. Not really. Just tell me first so I can read it too.


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